Scientists find more Earthlike planets

Earth has a few more near-twin planets outside our solar system, offering tantalizing possibilities in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Astronomers announced on Tuesday that, depending on definitions, they have confirmed three or four more planets that are about the same size as Earth and are in the not-too-hot, not-too-cold "Goldilocks Zone" for liquid water to form.

These planets are likely to be rocky like Earth, and not gas giants or ice worlds. They get about the same heat from their star as we get from the sun, according to the latest results from NASA's planet hunting Kepler telescope.