An unmanned Nasa mission to search the sky for Earth-like planets with the potential to host life has launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

The Kepler telescope will orbit the sun to watch a patch of space thought to contain about 100,000 stars. It will look for the slight dimming of light from these 'suns' as planets pass between them and the spacecraft.

Kepler blasted off atop a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station yesterday. Equipped with
the largest camera ever launched into space, it is the first mission designed to find rocky worlds orbiting Sun-like stars. Planets located in a warm zone – known as the habitable zone – might host liquid water on their surfaces.

And where there is liquid water, scientists argue, there is at least the potential for life.