NASA locates new planet 60 percent larger than Earth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Scientists using NASA's powerful Kepler telescope have found a planet beyond the solar system that is a close match to Earth.

The planet, which is about 60 percent bigger than Earth, is located about 1,400 light years away in the constellation Cygnus, the scientists told a news conference on Thursday.

While similarly sized planets have been found before, the latest one, known as Kepler-452b, is circling a star that is very similar but older than the sun at a distance about the same as Earth's orbit.

"It's great progress in finding a planet like Earth that is similar in size and temperature around a sun-like star," Jeff Coughlin, Kepler research scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, told reporters on a conference call.

Based on its size, scientists believe Kepler-452b is rocky and Earth-like and positioned at the right distance for liquid surface water, which is believed to be necessary for life.