NASA's Kepler Discovers First Earth-Size Planet In The 'Habitable Zone' of Another Star

NASA ^ | 4/17/2014 | NASA

[Dallas59]

Using NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered the first Earth-size planet orbiting a star in the "habitable zone" -- the range of distance from a star where liquid water might pool on the surface of an orbiting planet. The discovery of Kepler-186f confirms that planets the size of Earth exist in the habitable zone of stars other than our sun.

While planets have previously been found in the habitable zone, they are all at least 40 percent larger in size than Earth and understanding their makeup is challenging. Kepler-186f is more reminiscent of Earth.

"The discovery of Kepler-186f is a significant step toward finding worlds like our planet Earth," said Paul Hertz, NASA's Astrophysics Division director at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Future NASA missions, like the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and the James Webb Space Telescope, will discover the nearest rocky exoplanets and determine their composition and atmospheric conditions, continuing humankind's quest to find truly Earth-like worlds."

[Larry Lucido]

This has to be the third first earth-sized planet found today! :-)

[goldstategop]

Are we going to send them a radio message? :)

[kingattax]

how soon can we blast all the lefty loons over there ?

[KoRn]

/mark

[cripplecreek]

Been there done that.

[al baby]

Rush already is on 47 stations there already

[ROCKLOBSTER]

NASA...Discovers First Earth-Size Planet...

Oh Wow!

Does it look like it could support moslems?

[Don Corleone]

There has to be billions of them out there. Unlike Earth, some may even have intelligent life on them.

[Slambat]

This has to be the third first earth-sized planet found today! :-)

I’m just waiting for the first third earth-sized planet
found today,.

[Larry Lucido]

They might have a Fifth Third Bank there!

We can buy a fifth to celebrate!

[Carl Vehse]

There’s a whole lot more than being “Earth-sized” and “in the habitable zone” before one can even hint that such an exoplanet might have any (much less intelligent) life.

But, hey, if it produce a few dozen articles by fifth-column media hacks and convinces some low-information politicians to jack up NASA’s budget by a hundred megabucks, what the heck.

[CharlesOConnell]

There’s also a galactic goldilocks zone necessary for Life to arise.

“Size of a planet and its location around a star are only two out of over a dozen factors that determine whether a planet is habitable. They don’t consider in these news articles whether the system is within the Galactic Habitable Zone.

“Best, G^2” (Ball State University astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez, co-author of Privileged Planet http://www.sacra-pizza-man.org/privilegedPlanet.html )

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Dallas59.

• Found! First Earth-Size Planet That Could Support Life
• NASA's Kepler Discovers First Earth-Size Planet In The 'Habitable Zone' of Another Star

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[SunkenCiv]

Thanks KoRn, added, not pinged.

[SunkenCiv]

http://i.imgur.com/JJLr0Ar.jpg

[ExCTCitizen]

Dems are already looking to register the citizens of Keller 78 to have them vote for Hillary in 2016.