New Planet: An Earth-Like World, 600 Light-Years Away?

I have never understood why we spend so much money going out of space and researching different issues. When we real life problems going on everyday. What is it about space and other planets to live on that has so many of us so fascinated? I say we do a better job of taking care of this earth before we move to another one.

NASA's Kepler space telescope has found a new planet -- the most Earth-like yet -- circling a yellow star similar to Earth's sun and 600 light-years away, according to the space agency.

The most promising thing about this world, called Kepler-22b for now, is that it's in the so-called Goldilocks zone around its host star. Its surface temperature is estimated at an average of 72 degrees, which means liquid water -- considered essential for life as we know it -- would be possible there.

"We are certain that it is in the habitable zone and if it has a surface, it ought to have a nice temperature," said Bill Borucki, the Kepler principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center.

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