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Science

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n2doc

(47,953 posts)
Tue Jan 6, 2015, 02:11 PM Jan 2015

Most Earth-like planet ever discovered could be a cosy home for alien life [View all]

An alien world that orbits a distant star in the constellation of Lyra may be the most Earth-like planet ever found outside the solar system.

The planet, named Kepler 438b, is slightly larger than Earth and circles an orange dwarf star that bathes it in 40% more heat than our home planet receives from the sun.

The small size of Kepler 438b makes it likely to be a rocky world, while its proximity to its star puts it in the “Goldilocks” or habitable zone where the temperature is just right for liquid water to flow.

A rocky surface and flowing water are two of the most important factors scientists look for when assessing a planet’s chances of being hospitable to life.

Kepler 438b, which is 470 light years away, completes an orbit around its star every 35 days, making a year on the planet pass 10 times as fast as on Earth. Small planets are more likely to be rocky than huge ones, and at only 12% larger than our home planet, the odds of Kepler 438b being rocky are about 70%, researchers said.

more

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/06/earth-like-planet-alien-life-kepler-438b

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Very cool! Feral Child Jan 2015 #1
If it's larger than Earth and receiving more heat, isn't it likely to be a runaway greenhouse planet MillennialDem Jan 2015 #2
Depends on what's in the atmosphere. jeff47 Jan 2015 #8
"planets don't have a fixed density" Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2015 #10
Unless the planet is largely crustal with a small nickel-iron core MillennialDem Jan 2015 #11
Not with the information we have. jeff47 Jan 2015 #15
Depends on the greenhouse gas levels. Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2015 #9
Well yes but provided there is significant water vapor / methane / CO2 wouldn't MillennialDem Jan 2015 #12
There were theories that early earth should have done the "runaway" thing too... Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2015 #16
You're presuming the planet has Earth's chemical makeup. jeff47 Jan 2015 #17
Not according to Sen. Inhofe. All that greenhouse stuff is just Al Gore pranking us. tclambert Jan 2015 #13
Cool! Now we just have to travel at the speed of light for 470 years and we can start ruining it! Scuba Jan 2015 #3
I'm positive it wouldn't take us that long. I saw it done on TV once. BlueJazz Jan 2015 #5
... Fearless Jan 2015 #18
LOL! AllyCat Jan 2015 #21
Welcome Keplarians! BrotherIvan Jan 2015 #4
I remember when they claimed dwarf stars had no planets. Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2015 #6
many trillions of miles away heaven05 Jan 2015 #7
Eight new planets where life could exist found Judi Lynn Jan 2015 #14
I wonder what we would be able to find if..... BobbyBoring Jan 2015 #19
You know, maybe this is how everyone in the Old Testament lived AllyCat Jan 2015 #20
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