This one, named Kepler-186f, nearly matches Earth in size and orbits Kepler-186, a star with four previously known planets 500 light years away in the constellation Cygnus (Northern Cross).

This diagram shows our solar system and Kepler-186 to scale. But just because Kepler–186f is Earth-sized and in the habitable zone doesn’t mean it’s actually habitable.

But because Kepler-186 is a cooler star, about half the size of our sun, Kepler-186f is exposed to much more tolerable levels of solar heating even though it is relatively close to its sun.

The orbit of the exoplanet brings it around Kepler-186 once every 130 days. The planet lies at the outer edge of the star's habitable zone, receiving just one-third as much solar energy as our ...

What would living on another planet, outside of our solar system be like? This artist's illustration imagines what it could be like to live on the planet Kepler-186f. (Image credit: Danielle ...

"Kepler-186f is the first definitive Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone around any star," explains Elisa Quintana, the first author on the paper announcing the discovery, and a colleague of ...

The diagram compares the planets of the inner solar system to Kepler-186, a five-planet system about 500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. The five planets of Kepler-186 orbit a ...

The new planet, Kepler-186f, is part of a five-planet planet system that orbits a star named Kepler-186, which is cooler and about half the size and mass of our sun.

The search for extraterrestrial life is one of the most exciting frontiers of modern science. Thanks to recent discoveries of exoplanets like Gliese 581 g, Kepler-22 b, Kepler-186 f, and Kepler ...

Kepler-186 and the Solar System: The diagram compares the planets of the inner solar system to Kepler-186, a five-planet system about 500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. The ...