#kepler-69c

[thenewenlightenmentage]

The 6 Most Earth-like Alien Planets

Discovering the first true “alien Earth” is a long-held dream of astronomers. Recent exoplanet discoveries suggest that their dream will come true in the not-too-distant future

By Elizabeth Howell

Discovering the first true “alien Earth” is a long-held dream of astronomers—and recent exoplanet discoveries suggest that their dream will come true in the not-too-distant future.

Scientists have found nearly 2,000 alien planetssince the first such world was confirmed orbiting a sunlike star in 1995. More than half of these discoveries were made by NASA’s Kepler space telescope, which launched in 2009 on a mission to determine how common Earth-like planets are throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

Continue Reading

[constelaciondeorion]

The artist's concept depicts Kepler-69c, a super-Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of a star like our sun, located about 2,700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. Kepler-69c, is 70 percent larger than the size of Earth, and is the smallest yet found to orbit in the habitable zone of a sun-like star. Astronomers are uncertain about the composition of Kepler-69c, but its orbit of 242 days around a sun-like star resembles that of our neighboring planet Venus. © NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle

[space-pictures]

The artist's concept depicts Kepler-69c, a super-Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of a star like our sun, located about 2,700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.

Image: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech 

[thenewenlightenmentage]

Super-Earth Planet Is More Like Super-Venus, NASA Says

An alien planet declared a super-Earth by NASA might not be so habitable after all. New measurements flag the planet (called Kepler-69c) as more of a "super-Venus" that would likely be inhospitable to life.

The planetary status change is part of a larger struggle over how to define the habitable zone of a star. In recent years, scientists determined that the distance between a planet and its type of star is just one metric that hints at the likelihood of liquid water on its surface, which could fuel life. Other factors include the planet's atmosphere and even how the star behaves.

Continue Reading