The first discovered potentially habitable planets turned out to be even more similar to the Earth. Astronomers have found new clues to the habitability of the "big sisters" of the earth
Dakeyras 23 02-07-2018
In the "Code of Rio" of the Mayan Indians, in the Bible, among the Arvaks, among the Chiroki Indians and among some other peoples, weapons are described everywhere that are very reminiscent of nuclear weapons. Here is how Brahma's weapon works according to the Ramayana: “It was huge and spewed out streams of flame, the explosion from it was as bright as 10,000 Suns. The flame, devoid of smoke, diverged in all directions and was intended to kill the whole people. The survivors lost their hair and nails, and the food became unusable. Traces of thermal impact were discovered not only by the Roerich expedition in the Gobi desert, but also by other research scientists in the Middle East, in the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, in Europe (for example, in Stonehenge), in Africa, Asia, North and South America. In all those places where now there are deserts, semi-deserts and semi-lifeless spaces, 30 thousand years ago a fire broke out, covering almost 70 million square kilometers of the continents (70% of the entire land area of the Earth). Is there any scientific evidence for this? Yes.
It turns out that there is 60 times more carbon dioxide in the ocean than in the atmosphere, and in river water its content is the same as in the atmosphere. If we calculate the entire amount of carbon dioxide that has been released by volcanoes over the past 25,000 years, then its content in the ocean would have increased by no more than 15% (0.15 times), but by no means 60 (i.e. 6.000% ). Scientists believe that there was a colossal fire on Earth, and the resulting carbon dioxide was "washed" into the oceans. Calculations showed that to get this amount of CO2, you need to burn 20,000 times more carbon than is in our modern biosphere. In addition, if all the water were released from such a huge biosphere, then the level of the World Ocean would rise by 70 meters, but just the same amount of water is in the polar caps of the Earth's poles. This amazing coincidence leaves no doubt that all this water used to flow in the organisms of animals and plants of the dead biosphere. It turned out that the ancient biosphere was indeed 20,000 times larger than ours.
That is why such huge ancient riverbeds remained on Earth, which are tens and hundreds of times larger than modern ones, and grandiose dried-up water systems have been preserved in the Gobi Desert. Now there are no rivers of this size. On the ancient banks of full-flowing rivers, multi-tiered forests grew, in which mastodons, megateria, glyptodonts, saber-toothed tigers, huge cave bears and other giants were found. Even the well-known pig (boar) of that period was the size of a modern rhinoceros. Calculations show that with such dimensions of the biosphere, atmospheric pressure should be 8-9 atmospheres.
Even Giordano Bruno believed that planets must exist around the stars. But the first exoplanet was discovered only in October 1995. It was then that astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Quelos noticed the "wiggle" of the star. The planet that causes the wiggle is close in mass to Jupiter, but is much closer to its star. In honor of the 20th anniversary of the discovery of 51 Pegasi b, the staff compiled a list of the 20 most amazing exoplanets.
Kepler-186f
NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech
Kepler-186 f is the first terrestrial exoplanet found in the habitable zone of a sun-like star. It is likely that Kepler-186 f has liquid water. The alien planet is similar in size to Earth.
“So far, we know only one planet on which life exists - this is the Earth. If we want to find life outside the solar system, we need to focus our observations on terrestrial planets. The fact that we have found an exoplanet that is similar in size to the Earth and located in the habitable zone is a big step forward, ”commented the discovery of Kepler-186 f Elisa Quintana from the project to search for extraterrestrial civilizations and possible entry into contact with them, who works at the research center Ames NASA.
HD 209458b
NASA, European Space Agency, Alfred Vidal-Madjar (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS)
HD 209458 b, also known as Osiris, is the first exoplanet to be discovered due to a slight dimming of the star's brightness caused by the planet's transit across its disk. Thanks to these observations, scientists were able to determine the characteristics of HD 209458 b and began to apply this method to measure the parameters of other planets.
Scientists have noticed that due to the extremely small distance to the star, HD 209458 b is gradually evaporating under the influence of heat and stellar wind. For this reason, this exoplanet received the second name Osiris (an allusion to the ancient Egyptian myth in which Set cut the body of his brother Osiris into pieces so that he could not return to life).
Planet stars Kepler-11
NASA/JPL-Caltech
The six exoplanets orbiting the star Kepler-11 are the first planetary system discovered by NASA's space observatory using the transit method. Scientists have found that the orbits of all six planets are very close to each other - so the orbits of the first five planets could fit inside the orbit of Mercury.
Thanks to the discovery of exoplanets from the star Kepler-11, astronomers realized that small planetary systems similar to ours could be common.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Kepler-16 b is the first exoplanet discovered around a binary star. The planet is also unusual in that its orbit is smaller than the radius, which was considered the inner boundary for the formation of planets in a binary star system.
Kepler-16 b is often compared to Tatooine, the Star Wars desert planet also orbiting a binary star. In the movie epic, Tatooine was a place where smugglers and gangsters of all stripes gathered.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
51 Pegasi b is the very first exoplanet discovered. 51 Pegasus b has a nickname - "Bellerophon", received in honor of the ancient Greek hero who tamed the horse Pegasus (an allusion to the constellation Pegasus, in which the mother star of the exoplanet is located).
CoRoT 7b
ESO/L. Calcada
CoRoT 7 b is the first discovered exoplanet belonging to the rocky class. Super-Earths include planets whose mass exceeds the mass of the Earth, but is much less than the mass of gas giants - large planets with low density and a short period of daily rotation (in the solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are considered such planets).
The discovery of CoRoT 7 b showed that there are planets outside our system that resemble the Earth in characteristics. Perhaps some super-Earths will be habitable.
NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech
According to scientists from NASA, Kepler-22 b is an exoplanet, which has no analogues in our solar system. The gas giant is located in the habitable zone, and it is possible that there is water on its surface. The radius of Kepler-22 b is 2.4 Earth radii. Astronomers do not exclude that life can exist on the exoplanet.
NASA/Kepler Mission/Dana Berry
Kepler-10 b is one of the smallest exoplanets, as well as the first known "iron exoplanet", consisting primarily of an iron-rich core followed by a thin mantle layer, or without a mantle.
Scientists believe that on the surface of Kepler-10 b there may be an ocean of lava.
Planet stars Kepler-444
Tiago Campante/Peter Devine
The star Kepler-444 and the planets orbiting it is the oldest known system of Earth-like planets. This system is about twice as old as the solar system. According to scientists, formed almost immediately after the Big Bang.
When the Sun was first born, the Kepler-444 system was already older than our solar system is now.
55 Raka e
NASA/JPL-Caltech
55 Cancer e is a super-Earth that revolves around its star in 17 hours and 41 minutes. The planet is 8 times heavier than the Earth and is located closer to the star than Mercury is located to the Sun. During the rotation of 55 Cancer e is always turned to its "sun" with only one side.
Astronomers say that 55 Cancer e is the first rocky exoplanet to have seen extreme temperature changes. The surface of the planet is most likely waterless.
HD 189733b
NASA/ESA/G. Bacon (STScI)
HD 189733 b is one of the most studied exoplanets. It is close in size to Jupiter and belongs to the class. It is for HD 189733 b that we were able to map the temperature on the surface for the first time.
HD 189733 b is one of the hottest exoplanets discovered to date.
PSR B1257+12 system
NASA/JPL-Caltech
PSR B1257+12 is surprising in that the planets in this system orbit a neutron star, stellar remnants resulting from the gravitational collapse of a massive star during a supernova explosion. The PSR B1257 + 12 system proves that planets can be found anywhere - even around the "debris" of a star.
Planet stars K2-3
ESO/M. Kornmesser/Nick Risinger/ L. Calcada
K2-3 is a red dwarf star with three super-Earth-type planets orbiting it. Scientists from NASA believe that the conditions on these exoplanets may be suitable for the existence of life.
Planet stars HR 8799
NRC-HIA, Christian Marois, Keck Observatory
HR 8799 is the first star to have multiple exoplanets discovered by direct observation. At least three planets revolve around the star. The orbits of the distant planets of HR 8799 are within the protoplanetary disk - the circumstellar disk from which the planets subsequently form. It is one of the most massive discs discovered around a star within 300 ly. years from us.
Planet stars Kepler-36
The two planets orbiting the star Kepler-36 have the largest orbits ever recorded. At the same time, their orbits are located abnormally close to each other.
It is likely that Kepler-36 is a subgiant star, a star whose core has run out of hydrogen fuel.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
HD 114762 b was discovered back in 1989 - 6 years before the discovery of the first "official" exoplanet. But the object was considered a brown dwarf - an infrared star with a mass of less than 8% of the mass of the Sun, in the depths of which thermonuclear combustion of ordinary hydrogen is impossible.
NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech
Kepler-452 b is an exoplanet sometimes referred to as "Earth 2.0" due to its resemblance to Earth. Kepler-452 b is the first near-Earth-sized planet discovered in the habitable zone of a Sun-like G2 star.
According to scientists, the “double of the Earth” is included in the list of potentially life-friendly exoplanets.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCSC
Astrophysicists believe that HD 80606 b is "not shy about its emotions" - storms constantly arise on it and the strongest winds blow.
The exoplanet is located in the constellation Ursa Major and revolves around its star in 111 days in a highly elongated orbit.
Planet stars WASP-47
NASA/JPL-Caltech
The WASP-47 planetary system is unique in that it alone contains a "hot Jupiter" with planetary companions close to it.
Planet star OGLE-2005-BLG-390
NASA, ESA and G. Bacon (STScI)
Planet star OGLE-2005-BLG-390 is considered by scientists as the first super-Earth, consisting mainly of ice.
The exoplanet orbits its parent star in 3,500 days.
Sources:
- 20 Intriguing Exoplanets
- 20 Intriguing Exoplanets – Part 2 // NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
You can lose count of how many times we have heard the phrase that "scientists have found the first truly Earth-like exoplanet." To date, astronomers have been able to determine the presence of more than 2,000 different exoplanets, so it is not surprising that among them there are those that are, to one degree or another, really similar to Earth. However, how many of these Earth-like exoplanets could actually be habitable?
Similar statements were made at one time with regard to Tau Ceti e and Kepler 186f, which were also christened twins of the Earth. However, these exoplanets do not stand out in any way and are not at all like the Earth, as we would like them to be.
One way to determine how habitable a planet might be is through the so-called Earth Similarity Index (ESI). This indicator is calculated based on data on the exoplanet's radius, its density, surface temperature, and data on parabolic speed - the minimum speed that an object must be given in order for it to overcome the gravitational attraction of a particular celestial body. The Earth-likeness index ranges from 0 to 1, and any planet with an index greater than 0.8 can be considered "Earth-like". In our solar system, for example, Mars has an ESI of 0.64 (similar to exoplanet Kepler 186f), while Venus has an ESI of 0.78 (same as Tau Ceti e).
Below are five planets that most fit the description of the Earth's twin based on their ESI scores.
The exoplanet Kepler 438b has the highest ESI index among all currently known exoplanets. It is 0.88. Discovered in 2015, this planet orbits a red dwarf star (much smaller and colder than our Sun) and has a radius only 12 percent larger than Earth's. The star itself is located about 470 light years from Earth. The planet makes a complete revolution in 35 days. It is in the habitable zone, a space within its system where it is neither too hot nor too cold to support liquid water on the planet's surface.
As with other discovered exoplanets orbiting small stars, the mass of this exoplanet has not been studied. However, if this planet has a rocky surface, then its mass will probably be only 1.4 times that of the earth, and the temperature on the surface will vary from 0 to 60 degrees Celsius. Be that as it may, the ESI index is not an ultimate method for determining the habitability of planets. Scientists have recently observed and found that the planet's home star, Kepler 438b, quite regularly experiences very powerful emissions of radiation, which can eventually make this planet completely uninhabitable.
The ESI index of the planet Gliese 667Cc is 0.85. The planet was discovered in 2011. It orbits the red dwarf Gliese 667 in a triple system of stars located "only" 24 light-years from Earth. The exoplanet was discovered thanks to the measurement of the radial velocity, as a result of which scientists found out that in the motion of the star there are some fluctuations caused by the gravitational influence of the planet located near it.
The approximate mass of the exoplanet is 3.8 times the mass of the Earth, but scientists have no idea how big Gliese 667Cc is. It is not possible to find out because the planet does not pass in front of the star, which would make it possible to calculate its radius. The orbital period of Gliese 667Cc is 28 days. It is located in the habitable zone of its cold star, which, in turn, allows scientists to assume that the temperature on its surface is about 5 degrees Celsius.
Kepler 442b
The planet Kepler 442b, with a radius 1.3 times the radius of the Earth and an ESI index of 0.84, was discovered in 2015. It revolves around a star that is colder than the Sun and is located about 1100 light years from us. Its orbital period is 112 days, which suggests that it is in the habitable zone of its star. However, the temperature on the planet's surface can drop to -40 degrees Celsius. For comparison: the temperature at the poles of Mars in winter can drop to -125 degrees. Again, the mass of this exoplanet is unknown. But if it has a rocky surface, then its mass can be 2.3 times the mass of the Earth.
Two planets with ESI indices of 0.83 and 0.67, respectively, were discovered by the Kepler space telescope in 2013 when they passed in front of their home star. The star itself is located about 1200 light years from us and is somewhat colder than the Sun. With planetary radii 1.6 times and 1.4 times Earth's, their orbital periods are 122 and 267 days respectively, suggesting that both are in the habitable zone.
Like most other planets discovered by the Kepler telescope, the mass of these exoplanets remains unknown, but scientists suggest that in both cases it is about 30 times that of the Earth. The temperature of each of the planets can support the presence of water in liquid form. True, everything will depend on the composition of the atmosphere that they possess.
Kepler 452b, with an ESI of 0.84, was discovered in 2015 and was the first potentially Earth-like planet found in the habitable zone orbiting a star similar to our Sun. The radius of the planet is about 1.6 times the radius of the Earth. The planet makes a full revolution around its native star, which is located about 1400 light years from us, in 385 days. Since the star is too far away, and its light is not too bright, scientists cannot measure the gravitational influence of Kepler 452b and, as a result, determine the mass of the planet. There is only an assumption according to which the mass of the exoplanet is about 5 times the mass of the Earth. At the same time, the temperature on its surface, according to rough estimates, can vary from -20 to +10 degrees Celsius.
From all this it follows that even the most Earth-like planets, depending on the activity of their home stars, which can be very different from the sun, may be unable to support life. Other planets, in turn, have very different sizes and surface temperatures from Earth's. However, given the increased activity in recent years in the search for new exoplanets, one cannot exclude the possibility that among those found we will nevertheless meet a planet with a similar mass, size, orbit and a sun-like star around which it orbits.
A planet on which life can originate must meet several specific criteria. To name a few: it must be at a distance from the star, the size of the planet must be large enough to have a molten core, and it must also have a certain composition of "spheres" - lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, etc.
Such exoplanets outside our solar system can not only support the life that originated on them, but they can also be considered as some kind of "life oases" in the universe, if suddenly humanity has to leave their planet. According to the state of development of science and technology today, it is obvious that we have no chance of reaching such planets. The distance to them is up to several thousand light years, and, based on modern technology, a journey of only one light year would take us at least 80,000 years. But with the development of progress, the advent of space travel and space colonies, there will probably come a time when it will be possible to be there for a very short time.
Technology does not stand still, every year scientists find new means of searching for exoplanets, the number of which is constantly growing. Below we show you some of the most habitable planets outside the solar system.
Kepler-283c
The planet is located in the constellation Cygnus. The star Kepler-283 is 1700 light-years from Earth. Around its star (Kepler-283) the planet revolves in an orbit about 2 times smaller than the Earth around the Sun. But researchers believe that at least two planets (Kepler-283b and Kepler-283c) revolve around the star. Kepler-283b is closest to the star and is too hot for life to exist.
But still, the outer planet Kepler-283c is located in a zone favorable for the maintenance of life forms, known as the "habitable zone". The radius of the planet is 1.8 Earth radii, and a year on it will be only 93 Earth days, which is exactly how much this planet needs to complete a revolution around its star.
Kepler-438b
Exoplanet Kepler-438b is located in the constellation Lyra at a distance of about 470 light-years from Earth. It revolves around a dwarf red star, which is 2 times smaller than our Sun. The diameter of the planet is 12% larger than the diameter of the Earth, and it receives 40% more heat. Due to its size and distance from the star, the average temperature here is around 60ºС. It's a bit hot for a human, but perfectly acceptable for other life forms.
Kepler-438b completes a full circle in its orbit every 35 days, which means that the year on this planet lasts 10 times less than on Earth.
Kepler-442b
Like Kepler-438b, Kepler-442b is located in the constellation Lyra, but in a different solar system, which is located further in the universe, at a distance of about 1100 light-years from Earth. Scientists are 97% sure that the planet Kepler-438b is in the habitable zone, and every 112 days it makes a complete revolution around a red dwarf, whose mass is 60% of the mass of our Sun.
This planet is about a third larger than Earth and receives about two thirds of our sunlight, indicating that the average temperature there is around 0ºC. There is also a 60% chance that the planet is rocky, which is necessary for the evolution of life.
Gliese 667 Cc
The planet GJ 667Cc, also known as Gliese 667 Cc, lies in the constellation Scorpio, about 22 light-years from Earth. The planet is about 4.5 times the size of Earth and takes about 28 days to complete an orbit. The star GJ 667C is a red dwarf that is about a third the size of our Sun and is part of a three-star system.
This dwarf is also one of the closest stars to us, only about 100 other stars are closer. In fact, it is so close that people from Earth can easily see this star with telescopes.
HD 40307g
HD 40307 is a dwarf orange star that is larger than red stars but smaller than yellow ones. It is 44 light years away from us and is located in the constellation of the Painter. At least six planets revolve around this star. This star is slightly less powerful than our Sun, and the planet that is in the habitable zone is the sixth planet - HD 40307g.
HD 40307g is about seven times the size of Earth. A year on this planet lasts 197.8 Earth days, and it also rotates around its axis, which means that it has a day-night cycle, which is very important when it comes to living organisms.
K2-3d
The star K2-3, also known as EPIC 201367065, lies in the constellation Leo and is about 150 light-years from Earth. It may seem that this is a very large distance, but, in fact, this is one of the 10 stars closest to us that have their own planets, therefore, from the point of view of the Universe, K2-3 is very close.
Around the star K2-3, which is a red dwarf and half the size of our Sun, three planets rotate - K2-3b, K2-3c and K2-3d. The planet K2-3d is the furthest from the star, and it is in the habitable zone of the star. This exoplanet is 1.5 times the size of Earth and makes a complete revolution around its star every 44 days.
Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f
More than 1200 light-years away in the constellation Lyra are two planets - Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f, and they both revolve around the same star. Both planets are candidates for birth or life, but Kepler-62e is closer to its red dwarf star. The size of 62e is about 1.6 the size of the Earth and it takes 122 days to revolve around its star. Planet 62f is smaller, about 1.4 times the size of Earth, and makes a complete revolution around the star every 267 days.
The researchers believe that due to favorable conditions, it is likely that water is present on one or both exoplanets. They can also be completely covered in water, which is good news, as it's entirely possible that this is how Earth's history began. According to one recent study, billions of years ago, the Earth's surface may have been 95 percent covered in water.
Kapteyn b
Orbiting the red dwarf Kapteyn is the planet Kapteyn b. It is located relatively close to Earth, only 13 light years away. The year here lasts 48 days, and it is in the habitable zone of the star. What makes Kapteyn b such a promising candidate for possible life is that this exoplanet is much older than Earth, at 11.5 billion years old. This means it formed just 2.3 billion years after the Big Bang and is 8 billion years older than Earth.
Since a large amount of time has passed, this increases the likelihood that life exists there at the present time or will appear at some point in time.
Kepler-186f
Kepler-186F is the first known exoplanet with a probable ability to support life. It was opened in 2010. She is sometimes referred to as "Earth's cousin" due to the resemblance. Kepler-186F is located in the constellation Cygnus at a distance of about 490 light-years from Earth. It is an eco-planet in a system of five planets orbiting a fading red dwarf.
The star is not as bright as our Sun, but this planet is 10% larger than the Earth, and it is closer to its star than we are to the Sun. Due to its size and location in the habitable zone, scientists believe it is possible that there is water on the surface. They also believe that, like Earth, an exoplanet is made up of iron, rock, and ice.
After the planet was discovered, researchers looked for emissions that would indicate that extraterrestrial life exists there, but so far no evidence of life has been found.
Kepler 452b
Located about 1,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus, this planet is referred to as Earth's "big and big cousin" or "Earth 2.0". Planet Kepler 452b is 60% larger than Earth and farther away from its star, but receives about the same amount of energy as we get from the Sun. According to geologists, the planet's atmosphere is probably thicker than Earth's, and it likely has active volcanoes.
The force of gravity on the planet is probably twice that on Earth. For 385 days, the planet makes a revolution around its star, which is a yellow dwarf, like our Sun. One of the most promising features of this exoplanet is its age - it was formed about 6 billion years ago, i.e. it is about 1.5 billion years older than Earth. This means that a sufficiently long period has passed, during which life could have originated on the planet. It is considered the most likely habitable planet.
In fact, since its discovery in July 2015, the SETI Institute (a special institution for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence) has been trying to establish contact with the inhabitants of this planet, but so far has not received a single response message. No wonder, because the messages will reach our "twin" only after 1400 years, and in a good case, in another 1400 years we will be able to receive an answer from this planet.
Image copyright PA Image caption This figure shows the comparative sizes of the Earth and the planet Kepler-452b (right)
NASA's Kepler Orbital Telescope has allowed scientists to peer into previously inaccessible depths of the universe. Among the discoveries made with his help is a planet that has a lot in common with the Earth.
The planet, named Kepler-452b, orbits its star at about the same distance as the Earth, although its diameter is 60% larger than Earth's.
Scientists claim that this planet has more terrestrial features than other terrestrial analogues discovered earlier.
Such planets are of great interest to astronomers because they are compact and cool enough to hold liquid water on their surface. And this means that they may have conditions favorable for sustaining life.
The Kepler-452 star system is located 1,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.
NASA lead scientist John Grunsfeld, presenting this discovery, called the planet Kepler-452b so far the most similar to Earth.
Neighborhood is relative: at the maximum speed of removal from the solar system, achieved today by any of the man-made spacecraft, it would take more than 25 million years to reach this planet.
exoplanet
The new planet has added to the list of exoplanets discovered by Kepler - celestial bodies that, like the Earth, revolve around their sun.
At the moment, the attention of scientists is riveted on about 500 alleged planets located near distant stars.
They are among 4,175 planet candidates identified with this telescope, excluding the current find. So far, most of these candidates have subsequently been granted the status of proven exoplanets.
Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption Scientists have found thousands of exoplanets in space, but getting to them is not so easyA small part of these planets is not much larger than the Earth and is located within the so-called "habitable zone" in the vicinity of their star, similar in structure to the Sun - that is, where, in principle, water can be in a liquid state, which is considered a prerequisite sustaining life.
At the moment, 12 planets have been found in different star systems that presumably meet these requirements. Kepler-452b is the first "habitable" planet whose existence is considered proven.
The answer to the question of which of these planets is more similar to the Earth than others depends largely on what characteristics are taken into account in the first place.
Image copyright NASA Image caption In the imagination of the artist, Kepler-452b looks something like thisSmaller than Kepler-452b, but orbiting a "red dwarf" - a star that is much dimmer and cooler than the Sun.
Kepler-452b orbits a star in the same class as the Sun. This star is only 4% more massive and 10% brighter than the Sun. Kepler-452B flies around it in 385 days, so its "year" or, more precisely, its orbital period is only 5% longer than the Earth's.
The mass of the planet Kepler-452b cannot yet be measured, so astronomers have to rely on computer simulations to estimate different versions of its approximate mass. It is most likely that the mass of Kepler-452b is about five times that of the earth.
If its surface is rocky, the planet should continue active volcanic activity, and the force of gravity on it should be about twice that on Earth.
The star around which Kepler-452b orbits is 1.5 billion years older than the Sun. Scientists believe that she can tell what awaits the Earth in the future.
The age of the planet itself is estimated at 6 billion years, that is, if these data are correct, it is also 1.5 billion years older than the Earth.
Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption Not all exoplanets, even "terrestrial" type, may be suitable for life"If Kepler-452b does indeed have a rocky surface, its position relative to the star means it has entered the greenhouse phase of its climatic history," says Kepler scientist Doug Caldwell.
“The increasing release of energy from this aging sun could heat the surface and evaporate any oceans. Water could evaporate and the planet could lose it forever,” says Caldwell. “Kepler-452b can experience now what the Earth will experience in more than a billion years The sun will age and become brighter."
super earth
University of Warwick scientist Don Pollacco, who is not involved in the project, told the BBC that the data collected by the Kepler telescope allows an estimate of the size of the planet relative to the star it orbits.
They really have no idea what this planet is made of. It could be a stone, or maybe a small ball of gas, or maybe something more exotic Don Pollacco
“If you know the size of a star, you know the size of the planet,” the scientist says. “But to go further, for example, to find out if it has a rocky surface, you need to measure the mass of the planet, and this is much more difficult to do, since they are too far away, to make such measurements.
"So they really have no idea what this planet is made of. It could be rock, or it could be a small ball of gas, or maybe something more exotic," says Don Pollacco.
"Other Kepler planets that are in the" zone of life "may be even more similar to the Earth. For example, Kepler-186f is about 1.17 larger than the Earth, and Kepler-438b is about 1.12 from the Earth" , - points out the scientist.
Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption So far, the Earth remains the only object in the Universe that we can say with certainty that it is possible to live here."Actually, at 1.6 Earth's diameter, Kepler-452b falls into a category called 'Super-Earth'. There is not a single planet of this type in our solar system. For this reason, Super-Earths are very interesting, but can we say that they are similar to Earth?" asks Dr Chris Watson of Queen's University Belfast.
“If we look at the type of star that Kepler-452b orbits, it becomes clear that this star is similar to the Sun,” says Chris Watson. “Other Kepler planets found in “life zones” revolve around “red dwarfs” Stars that are much less hot than the Sun, so the planets must orbit much closer to them to receive the same level of heat.
"So it could potentially be a rocky Super-Earth in an Earth-like orbit. It's this combination of star and orbit that makes this planet stand out, in my opinion," the scientist told the BBC.