Earth-Like 'Cousin' Kepler-186f Found 490 Light-Years Away, New Planet Is 'Best Bet' Yet For Extraterrestrial Life

A new planet that scientists are calling a close "cousin" of Earth was discovered nearly 500 light years away in the constellation Cygnus, NASA scientists announced Thursday. Called Kepler-186f, the exoplanet - a term given to any planet outside our solar system - is about the same size as Earth and is just the right distance from its host star for liquid water.