NASA's Kepler mission has confirmed the first near-Earth-size planet in the “habitable zone” around a sun-like star. The newly discovered Kepler-452b is the smallest planet to date discovered orbiting in the habitable zone -- the area around a star where liquid water could pool on the surface of an orbiting planet -- of a G2-type star, like our sun. The confirmation of Kepler-452b brings the total number of confirmed planets to 1,030. This video shows an artist's concept that depicts one possible appearance of the planet Kepler-452b.
For more information about the Kepler mission, please visit http://www.nasa.gov/kepler
For more information about NASA Ames, please visit http://www.nasa.gov/ames
