Watch CBS News

Second Earth Found? Scientists Confirm Existence Of 'Kepler-22B' Planet

PASADENA (CBS)— NASA announced a major milestone in the quest for life in the universe Monday: The discovery of another planet close enough to Earth that it could support life.

The planet, dubbed Kepler-22b, has a radius 2.4 times that of Earth and is 600 light years away, according to NASA. It's the first planet confirmed to be in a "habitable zone," a region around a star where liquid water can exist.

In the case of Kepler-22b, its star is similar to the sun, though it is slightly smaller and cooler. It takes the planet 290 days to orbit the star, according to NASA.

"This is a major milestone on the road to finding Earth's twin," said Kepler program scientist Douglas Hudgins.

Astronomers don't yet know if Kepler-22b is predominantly a rocky planet, such as Earth, or made up mostly of gases or liquids.

Kepler-22b is the first planet confirmed to be in a habitable zone found by Kepler so far.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.