While NASA might be working hard to launching its new planet hunting mission in 2017, that doesn’t mean its not using the resources it currently has to discovery new and exciting things in the universe. In a press release today the agency says that it has discovered three new planets that are in the habitable zone. These super Earth sized planets are part of the two new planetary systems they have discovered. Kepler 62 system has five planets; 62b, 62c, 62d, 62e and 62f. Kepler 69 system has two planets; 69b and 69c.
Out of these seven planets, three are in the “habitable zone,” which is the range of distance from their suns that they orbit, making surface temperature suitable for the existence of liquid water. These three planets are Kepler 62e, 62f and 69c. Kepler 62f is said to be 40% larger than Earth, which means that it is the only planet known in habitable zone that is closest to the size of our world. Kepler 62e is almost 60% larger than Earth and both of these planets orbit a star that is smaller and cooler than the sun. Kepler 69c is said to be 70% larger than earth and it orbits in the habitable zone of a star that is similar to the sun. Scientists are not sure if these planets could host life, but this yet another major step in finding a planet that orbits around a star like our Earth does around the sun.