Kepler discovers planet in star's habitable zone
Posted: Tue, Dec 6, 2011, 7:43 AM ET (1243 GMT)
Astronomers announced Monday the first discovery in data from NASA's Kepler mission of a planet in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. The planet, designated Kepler-22b, is about 2.4 times the radius of the Earth and would have an average surface temperature of 22 degrees Celsius, but astronomers said they did not have information about the planet's mass or potential composition, thus making them unable to say just how much this planet may be like the Earth. The planet is the first world found by Kepler orbiting in the habitable zone of a star, where temperatures would permit the presence of liquid water. The spacecraft has now detected over 2,300 potential planets, including ten similar in size and orbit to the Earth, although followup observations are needed to confirm their existence. Scientists said the overall data collected by Kepler suggests that smaller planets, one to four times the size of the Earth, may be abundant.
Astronomers announced Monday the first discovery in data from NASA's Kepler mission of a planet in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. The planet, designated Kepler-22b, is about 2.4 times the radius of the Earth and would have an average surface temperature of 22 degrees Celsius, but astronomers said they did not have information about the planet's mass or potential composition, thus making them unable to say just how much this planet may be like the Earth. The planet is the first world found by Kepler orbiting in the habitable zone of a star, where temperatures would permit the presence of liquid water. The spacecraft has now detected over 2,300 potential planets, including ten similar in size and orbit to the Earth, although followup observations are needed to confirm their existence. Scientists said the overall data collected by Kepler suggests that smaller planets, one to four times the size of the Earth, may be abundant.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
FAA restricts hours for commercial launches during shutdown
Posted: Sun, Nov 9 9:05 AM ET (1405 GMT) China postpones Shenzhou-20 return on orbital debris concerns
Posted: Sun, Nov 9 8:58 AM ET (1358 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, November 19
SpaceX launches another batch of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit
UPI — 12:18 am ET (0518 GMT) Clock starts ticking: President Trump served with summons in battle over Space Command HQ
WZDX-TV Huntsville, AL — 12:15 am ET (0515 GMT) Saltzman’s ‘Vector’ Charts Space Force’s Progress and Next Steps
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 12:14 am ET (0514 GMT) Starbase clears the way for SpaceX to collect $7.5 million tax refund
KVEO-TV Rio Grande Valley, TX — 12:12 am ET (0512 GMT) Preparing pads for SpaceX’s future Starship cadence
NasaSpaceFlight.com — 12:11 am ET (0511 GMT) |
