NASA Finds Smallest Earthlike Planet Outside Solar System

NASA Finds Smallest Earthlike Planet Outside Solar System

news.nationalgeographic.com

Published January 10, 2011

The smallest planet yet spied outside our solar system has been found orbiting a sunlike star about 560 light-years away, astronomers announced today. Known as Kepler-10b, the planet is just 1.4 times Earth's size and 4.6 times its mass.

The planet, found using NASA's Kepler spacecraft, is the first of the more than 500 known exoplanets that's definitively rocky—much like Earth, Mars, Venus, or Mercury—the study team says. Launched in March 2009, Kepler was designed to hunt for potentially habitable Earthlike planets.

Astronomers have been studying Ke

(visit the link for the full news article)

With the new Kepler telescope, this is looking good for finding a Earth like planet so keep on looking and try to find more planets that might be Earth like.It would be Lots of iron..how do they know?Wonder if it can take pictures of the planet?Orbiting a sun like star.I think they need to do more research in our own system before looking out where it is so vast.What is on the dark side of the moon? LOL


news.nationalgeographic.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Highergrounds


I think there is a thread already on this subject..

2nd

I think the extremes of big and small are amazing. Our planet is like a spec of sand compared to others, which makes me think other planets could be like a spec of sand to ours. Alien beings could be enormous giants beyond comprehension, or so small we could not see them with our eyes.

My friend,

Originally posted by tom502
I think the extremes of big and small are amazing. Our planet is like a spec of sand compared to others, which makes me think other planets could be like a spec of sand to ours. Alien beings could be enormous giants beyond comprehension, or so small we could not see them with our eyes.

I like your thinking

Certainly puts it into perspective.

And to think you could fit 1300 Earths into Jupiter

Great post, star [get it?] for sure

Be safe be well

Spiro

Existing thread here:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Please add further comments to the ongoing discussion.
Thank you







-thread closed-



for future reference:
Search ATS