Last year came to an exciting end with the discovery of an Earth-like planet, Kepler-22b, orbiting a sun-like star outside of our solar system. It was found by NASA’s Kepler mission and is the first planet detected orbiting in a star’s habitable zone, the region around a star where liquid water, a requirement for life on Earth, could persist.
The Kepler mission also found 9 other near-Earth-size potential planets that orbit in the habitable zone of their host star. And this month, scientists published results of a 6-year study strengthening the possibility that life forms similar to those on Earth exist elsewhere.
So could 2012 be the year to find extraterrestrial life? Investigating Kepler-22b and the other possible planets is certainly a good place to start.
To read more, click here.