A group of astronomers using NASA's Kepler space telescope have discovered a planet believed to be remarkably similar to Earth as it orbits a distant sun-like star that is similar in size and temperature to the sun, but older. The planet is dubbed Kepler-452b and it orbits a star that is about 6 billion years old, compared to the 4.6 billion year age of the sun. Kepler-452b is positioned about as far from its parent star as Earth is from the sun, completing an orbit in 385 days, compared to Earth's 365-day orbit. At that distance, surface temperatures would be suitable for liquid water, a condition believed to be critical for life. Thus the discovery has bolstered hopes of finding life elsewhere in the universe.