Scientists claim that our galaxy, the Milky Way, consists of al least 50 billion planets; and out of at least 500 million of that big figure are in a zone that is neither too hot nor too cold to support life.

NASA's Kepler planet-hunting probe has thus far identified 1,235 candidate planets, with 54 in the so-called Goldilocks zone, where temperate could be suitable for sustaining life.

One of the candidate planets is KOI 326.01, which is similar to Earth or smaller in size, and has an average temperature lower than water's boiling point. However, data to confirm the planet's existence and its characteristics is scarce. Scientists do not even have sufficient knowledge about the size of the planet’s parent star.

Speaking on KOI 326.01, planetary scientist William Borucki from NASA's Ames Research Center said, "It's a small object, a small candidate.”

Borucki added that further observations in future could provide data for that confirmation. Kepler spots an exso planet when the planet blocks light coming from its star while passing in front of the star. As per the available data, so far, 44 per cent of the stars should have planets; and 10 per cent of those planets should be similar to Earth in size. So, one can expect KOI 326.01-like more candidate planets in near future.