For a long time, a question that has sharpened human curiosity is whether “life exists outside the planet Earth” or “could the human being survive on another planet?” Last year, NASA found the planet that so far is considered the most similar to ours, which was named Kepler-186f.

But what is the difference between the discovery of this planet for so many others already researched before? Firstly, the Kepler-186f is an exoplanet, which means it is extra-solar and orbits a star different from the Sun. What is surprising is that it is the first discovered exoplanet with size, density, rotation, and distance from its “sun” similar to those of Earth, in addition to great chances of having liquid water on its surface, which would allow the existence of extraterrestrial life.

The negative points about the possibility of life in Kepler-186f is that it receives from its star only a third of the energy that the Earth receives from the Sun. Moreover, nothing is yet known about the mass, atmosphere and composition of the planet to ensure the ability to host life. Still, Kepler-186f is the most Earth-like planet and its discovery represents a great breakthrough in the area and in the studies of human living conditions on other planets.