TAKE NOTICE--we are living in a universe where science fiction and science reality are becoming one, as revealed by NASA's extraordinary Kepler mission.

Like an archaeologist digging for a lost civilization, Kepler is uncovering layer after layer of evidence that our solar system, its planets and our own Earth are not unique, as previously thought.

Launched in early 2009, Kepler has been concentrating on finding Earth-size planets by staring at more than 100,000 stars in a patch of the summer night sky. It is looking for these planets in and around a star's habitable zone, an area where planets may harbor water and an atmosphere suitable for life to flourish, and its discoveries have continually grown more exotic and intriguing since the mission began.

In January 2010, Kepler discovered its first five planets beyond the solar system, all much larger and hotter than Earth. In January 2011, it found a rocky planet about 1.4 times the diameter of Earth, but again much hotter.

Last September, NASA made the announcement that Kepler had confirmed the existence of a planet, named Kepler-16b, orbiting two stars. Before this amazing discovery, a world with double sunsets and sunrises was something heard of only in science fiction. News releases compared this planet to the fictional "Star Wars" planet that orbited two suns.

This past December, Kepler confirmed the existence of Kepler-22b, a planet 2.4 times the diameter of Earth orbiting its star every 290 days, making it the smallest planet thus far discovered within the habitable zone. However, astronomers have not yet determined the planet's overall structure.

During the last days of 2011, NASA announced that Kepler had found the first Earth-size planets orbiting a star similar to the sun. These two planets, named Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are small and rocky like Earth, but orbit too close to their star to be in the habitable zone. Still, it seems to be only a matter of time before Kepler strikes gold; more than 2,300 potential planets requiring further research have been found since the mission began.

The universe truly seems to be looking more like a science fiction novel, and each one of Kepler's findings represents a major milestone. Another Earth-like planet may be discovered on our galaxy's doorstep!