Scientists are discovering loads of new planets every day. Recently however, through the use of the Kepler telescope, they discovered 8 new exoplanets. One of these explanets is described as perhaps the “most Earth-like alien world.” The Kepler telescope has now identified more than 1,000 exoplanets since launching in 2009. Of the eight newly confirmed planets, three are within the so-called “habitable zone” that could hold water.
The most Earth-like planet, known as 438b, is only 12 percent larger than Earth and closer to our home planet’s temperature. 438b now replaces 186f (discovered last year) as the closest Earth-like exoplanet discovered to date.
Don’t get too excited just yet. According to NASA, 438b is 475 light-years away from Earth and orbits its star every 35.2 days. We will need a physics-bending technological breakthrough to ever be able to vist 438b. Another planet within the habitable zone, 442b, is 1,100 light-years away and orbits its star every 112 days. Both are likely rocky, like Earth. 
NASA also announced 554 new planet candidates, raising its total to 4,175. More analysis will be needed to determine how many of these are actual planets, and how many may be Earth-like, but the discoveries are encouraging.
Fergal Mullally, a scientist at the SETI Institute Kepler who led the analysis of the planet candidates stated – “Kepler collected data for four years “” long enough that we can now tease out the Earth-size candidates in one Earth-year orbits. We‘re closer than we‘ve ever been to finding Earth twins around other sun-like stars. These are the planets we‘re looking for.” A nice little Star Wars reference coming from the SETI scientist.
Source: The Verge
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