NASA announced on Wednesday the discovery of an Earth-sized exoplanet located within the habitable zone of its host star. The planet, designated Kepler-452f, orbits a Sun-like star approximately 1,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.
"This is the most Earth-like planet we've found in terms of size and orbital position," said Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "While we don't yet know if it has an atmosphere or liquid water, its location is promising."
Kepler-452f completes an orbit every 385 days, placing it firmly within the region where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on the surface. The planet is about 1.6 times Earth's size, making it a "super-Earth" rather than an exact twin.
The discovery was made using data from NASA's Kepler space telescope, with follow-up observations from the James Webb Space Telescope. Webb's instruments detected the planet's atmospheric signature, though more observations are needed to determine its composition.
Scientists plan additional Webb observations to search for biosignatures—chemical indicators of potential life. The team's findings will be published in The Astrophysical Journal next month.