NASA's Kepler space telescope might have discovered the most Earth-like exoplanet so far.
The probable planet orbits a G-class star, a star slightly smaller and cooler than our own, in the its 'habitable zone'. Which is to say, the planet, dubbed KOI 172, likely has an orbit that is close enough it could potentially have liquid water on its surface and climate conditions conducive to life. The planet itself is thought to be a 'super-Earth', slightly larger than our own planet at 1.5 times the mass of Earth, and it completes its orbit around its star every 242 days. KOI 172 is one of 461 new planet candidates discovered between May 2009 and Mar. 2011. All of these candidates are awaiting confirmation.
If confirmed, KOI 172 will be among the most promising planets discovered so far in terms of its ability to potentially sustain life. The Kepler space telescope looks for potential planets by measuring dips in a star's brightness caused by planetary transit. There are various ways to confirm a candidate world's existence, such as measuring the 'wobble' of the star due to gravitational interactions with planets in its solar system. Only with more extensive observations will astronomers know for certain whether KOI 172 exists.
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