Turns out earth has an older, bigger cousin.
NASA’s Kepler mission has confirmed the existence of the first planet that mirrors Earth the most. The near-Earth-size planet resides in the "habitable zone" of the Kepler-452 system and circles around a sun-like-star.
Located about 1,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus, the planet is about 60 per cent larger than our own.
Although believed to host a rather rocky topography, the exact mass and composition of the newly discovered planet is still unknown.
The sun radiating over Kepler-452 is six billion years old, 1.5 billion years older than the Earth's sun. Outshining our own star in the sky, Kepler’s sun is 10 per cent larger and 20 per cent brighter.
The Kepler mission was launched back in 2009 and has since identified over 1,000 planets living within the starry abyss.
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