An orbiting NASA telescope is finding whole new worlds of possibilities in the search for alien life, including more than 50 potential planets that appear to be in the habitable zone.

In a year of peering out at a small slice of the galaxy, the Kepler telescope has spotted 1,235 possible planets outside our solar   system. Amazingly, 54 seem to be in the zone that could be hospitable to life -- not too hot or too cold, Kepler chief scientist William Borucki said last week.

Until now, only two planets outside our solar system were even thought to be in the "Goldilocks zone." And both those discoveries are highly disputed. So 54 possibilities is "an inconceivable amount," Borucki said.

The more than 1,200 newfound bodies aren't confirmed as planets yet, but Borucki estimates 80% will be eventually.

After that, it's a big step in proving that a confirmed planet has basic conditions needed to support life, such as the proper size, composition, temperature and distance from its star. More advanced aspects such as the presence of water and carbon require telescopes that aren't built yet.

Just because a planet is in the habitable zone doesn't mean it has life. Mars is a good example. And when scientists look for life, it's not necessarily intelligent life; it could be bacteria or mold or a form people can't even imagine.

Before Wednesday's announcement, the count of planets outside the solar system was 519. That means Kepler could triple the number of known planets.

Kepler also found there are many more relatively small planets, and more stars with more than one planet circling them -- all hopeful signs in the search for life.

All the stars Kepler looks at are in our Milky Way galaxy, but they're so far away that traveling there is not a realistic option. In some cases, it would take many millions of years with current technology.

What gets astronomers excited is that the more planets there are, the greater the odds that life exists elsewhere.

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