NASA announced Monday the discovery of Kepler-22b, the first planet the Kepler spacecraft has discovered in the habitable zone, an area with a distance from a star where temperatures will permit the existence of liquid water. The discovery of Kepler-22b, which is 600 light-years away from Earth, brings scientists one step closer to finding a planet that could possibly harbor life. Kepler-22b has several Earth-like characteristics: The new planet's temperature is around 72 degrees Fahrenheit and its radius is 2.4 times Earth's. The planet completely orbits its star, which is similar to our sun, every 290 days, just 75 days shy of an Earth year.
11 Comments
Anthanisha
2/13/2012 09:36:36 am
This is really a cool thing to find out. Now I think I might have a twin somewhere who looks just me. That would be awesome. I want to visit the planet just to see who or what is there. At this point; however, I would be dead before I could reach the planet since it is 600 light years away.
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Johnnie
2/13/2012 09:42:05 am
This new planet, Kepler-22b, can possibly be the next life insurance policy just as Mars serves. It posses water, and with water, life can survive. Possibly there is life already in place on the new planet that further proves that this planet can sustain life.
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Reiko
2/13/2012 09:50:00 am
This type of discovery does not happen often and is very exciting. Finding another planet that could possibly sustain life is very interesting. I wonder what gases make up the atmosphere of Kepler-22b. I also want to know specifically what type of life could be sustained on this planet.
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Ms. Dix
2/13/2012 09:56:01 am
This is true Anthanisha. The distance between planet earth and planet Kepler-22b is about 3,600 trillion miles away. The chances of the human race ever making it to this planet are quite slim. But the fact of there possibly being other forms of life out there is quite intriguing.
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Ms. Dix
2/13/2012 10:05:55 am
Actually Reiko NASA still does not know what the planet is actually made up of. It could be made of rock, gas or liquid. Further studies must be completed. It is the first planet to be confirmed beyond our solar system in what is called the "Goldilocks Zone", not too hot, and not too cold, and therefore, possibly habitable. I imagine if it has similar characteristics to our planet that the gases which make up its' atmosphere are similar to our own which some are nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.
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Michelle
2/15/2012 12:38:18 pm
When Kepler is finally discovered by everyone, when do you think it will be livable for everyone such as humans?
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Ms. Dix
2/15/2012 12:40:31 pm
It is possible that this planet is already inhabitable. We will not know for sure until further studies are done which is quite expensive. If there is life on that planet, one can not determine what their genetic make-up will be like. If we can ever reach the planet, who knows what will be discovered.
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Latisha
2/15/2012 12:41:53 pm
After global warming or we going to be able to live on the planet Kepler if something bad happens to the earth?
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Ms. Dix
2/15/2012 12:59:57 pm
The planet is 600 light years away. One light year is the equivalent nearly 6 trillion times; therefore it would take 22 million years to travel 600 light years on a space shuttle and visit Kepler 22-b with our current technology. Our chances of colonizing such a planet (if it is even inhabitable) are very slim. So for now we are going to have to make some major changes in order to survive on the only inhabitable planet at this time.
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Trevor R
3/13/2012 05:44:29 am
Its good that we found another planet like ours in case something goes wrong with our planet we can just go live on that one.
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Alicia Sumler
4/3/2012 02:14:01 am
I Think thats awesome that Kepler-22b has several Earth-like characteristics. That means that we the people on Earth can have more resources since we are runing out of sources. Since the Kepler is 22 million years to travel 600 light years. We can made better technology too reach the planet faster.
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