The Kepler Telescope, launched in 2009, orbits the earth in search of similar planets. Scientists are interested in planets with earth-like aspects because they might contain life. The telescope has discovered thousands of habitable planets since it has been launched six years ago.
Kepler 425b is its latest and most promising discovery. The planet is just slightly larger and hotter than our own. It is estimated to be 4% more massive and 10% hotter than Earth. A year on Kepler-425b is 385 days long, which is 5% longer than the time it takes Earth to orbit the sun. The only slightly more significant difference between Kepler-425b and Earth is the difference in circumference; Kepler-425b is 60% larger than Earth.
Kepler-425b is just one of twelve new planets to have been discovered that orbit their stars in the habitable zone. The habitable zone is just the right distance – not to close but not too far – that a planet has to be from a star in order for water to exist on it in liquid form. Current data cannot confirm the composition 425b’s surface. If the surface is indeed rocky, as the data suggest it is, then Kepler 425b is a serious candidate for potential life.
Even if no life at all will be discovered, the exciting discovery might reveal important information. Kepler 425-b is roughly 1.5 billion years older than Earth. Similarly, the star it orbits is also much older than our sun. A star exerts significantly more heat towards the end of its life. Therefore, Kepler 425b is possibly much hotter today than it was in the past. With this in mind, 425b may possibly forecast Earth’s conditions 1.5 billion years from now.
Okay...okay...but let's get down to the nitty gritty. Where do we line up for a Tim Hortons franchise? Does a Burger King store come with it?
See ya, eh!
Bob
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Source: http://www.kikarnews.com/news/kepler-telescope-finds-earth-like-planet/
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