For the first time a near-Earth-sized planet has been found orbiting a star that is very much like our own sun. NASA on Friday announced the discovery of Kepler-452b, which is 1400 light years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.

The international team of astronomers working on NASA's Kepler mission that identified the planet includes Daniel Huber of the University of Sydney.

Dr Huber told Fairfax Media that, although more than 1000 exoplanets - those outside our solar system - have been identified, Kepler-452b was special because of the star it orbits and the planet's long orbital period.

"Kepler-452b has similar characteristics to our sun, which makes finding a planet with an orbital period similar to Earth in this system very exciting," Dr Huber said. "It is the first time we have found such a planet."