Found! 2 Earth-Size Alien Planets, the Smallest Exoplanets Yet

Found! 2 Earth-Size Alien Planets, the Smallest Exoplanets Yet

www.space.com

Two planets orbiting a star 950 light-years from Earth are the smallest, most Earth-size alien worlds known, astronomers announced today (Dec. 20). One of the planets is actually smaller than Earth, scientists say.

These planets, while roughly the size of our planet Earth, are circling very close to their star, giving them fiery temperatures that are most likely too hot to support life, researchers said. The discovery, however, brings scientists one step closer to finding a true twin of Earth that may be habitable

(visit the link for the full news article)

Seems like more and more are being found. These ones are Earth size or smaller. They have been trying to find planets that are close enough to our size of Earth and we are starting to finally find them. These would be the first in the universe so that we have found.

Kepler is getting the job done in my book and does deserve the funding to keep the project going. IF we can find a Earth size Kepler-22b again this would be a big step. Now if only we could find more habitable planets or at least in that zone.

www.space.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

The big eyelid of Earth is opening.

Thanks, I always love information about the search for planets.

So, basically large, hot Mercuries?

It is pretty incredible to wonder that given the sizes of planets we detect now, how many smaller Earth like worlds could Kepler have missed. They are getting up to about a thousand or so planets now right? The vast majority of them larger worlds, I wonder how many small planets and moons are hiding in there.

Originally posted by RSF77
The big eyelid of Earth is opening.

Thanks, I always love information about the search for planets.

So, basically large, hot Mercuries?

edit on 20-12-2011 by RSF77 because: (no reason given)

One is Venus sized other is a little bit larger then Earth.

-SAP-

It's an "alien Venus"...

We are one step closer to find an "alien Earth".

Maybe in 2012 we may find a planet the same size of Earth, orbiting a star the same size of the Sun, at the same distance that Earth does it.

reply to post by GLontra


well they claim they have about 50 candidates that are "earth or near earth size in the HZ ". So we should get a few next year

reply to post by SloAnPainful


Yea, it said they were both closer to their star than Mercury so I just used that as an example.

Originally posted by GLontra
It's an "alien Venus"...

We are one step closer to find an "alien Earth".

Maybe in 2012 we may find a planet the same size of Earth, orbiting a star the same size of the Sun, at the same distance that Earth does it.

Have you seen this from a while back?

www.king5.com

Average temp is supposed to be a nice warm spring day on Earth, orbits within the Goldilocks zone.

Only downside is it's twice the size of Earth, gravity a bit heavy. They speculate on whether it is a waterworld.

The weird thing is that if/when they do find a second Earth, Man will find a way of getting there. And i dont mean in 100-1000 years. Once found someone will develop a tool to get us there, its what we do best. I really hope its within my life time, id love to visit Pandora, eh?

reply to post by RSF77


Oh didn't see that missed how close it was to its parent star. It did say the star had a little less power then our sun, but it is the same type of star.

-SAP-

i think its cool but i can't helpbut ask so what?

What are the benefits? If they send a probe we won't get results for atleast 2000 years (Im not certain on that) Wouldn't radio signals take just as long to get there and back?
I don't know it just upsets me as we can't just go check out these planets for life.

reply to post by RSF77


its not really a good planet. Its twice the earth radius which depending on the composition puts it between 5-10 earth mass. Probably more like neptune than earth

kepler mission defines earth size as between 0.75 to 2 earth mass. Which is about 1.3 earth radius max

reply to post by yeti101


Not for us, but if it covered in water it could potentially have life much like that which is in our oceans.

With that massive amount of gravity and potentially very deep oceans, imagine the MASSIVE sea creatures that could exist. Stuff that eats a Megaladon like it was a feeder fish.

reply to post by Bixxi3


keplers mission is to deliver to the scientific community the frequency ( how common) earth size planets in earth-like orbits are around stars like our sun.

we can then extrapolate these results throughout our galaxy. So at the end we can say 10% of stars like our sun have an earth-size planet in an earth-like orbit.

This will tell us how many stars nearby we need to search before we find another "earth".

So if the results are 10% if we search 100 nearby sun-like stars we should find 10 "earths". We need to know this as it will determine the scope of mission we need to do next. Kepler should also give us insights into what kind of stars are good for planets. Low lithium? high metal? or maybe something else. It will tell us which area is best to point the next telescope

so kepler is not about going to these planets its taking a census of planets in our galaxy which is interesting in itself but its also the first step to answering the ultimate question "Are we alone?"

reply to post by yeti101


I see ok that is pretty cool. Its ashame we can't just zoom right into the planet like google earth

I'm sorry but I can't help but find these stories somewhat humorous. You mean to tell me that 950 LIGHT YEARS away they can tell how big a planet is and how close it is but yet they can't provide us with good photos to our nearest planets? Point that god damn Keplar telescope at one of them damn it.

Originally posted by Bixxi3
reply to post by yeti101

 

I see ok that is pretty cool. Its ashame we can't just zoom right into the planet like google earth

I agree it would be awesome to see what these look like, habitable or not. Still its new and has never been seen by Human eyes. I like reading about space and planets and all that fun stuff.

-SAP-

reply to post by HawkeyeNation


lol kepler doesn't see the planets it detects dips in the light from the star. Kepler is studying stars so its actually indirect detection of planets.

kepler cant look at stars nearby because they're too bright. We need a different kind of telescope to actually see the planets around nearby stars.

Originally posted by yeti101
reply to post by HawkeyeNation

 

lol kepler doesn't see the planets it detects dips in the light from the star. Kepler is studying stars so its actually indirect detection of planets.

kepler cant look at stars nearby because they're too bright. We need a different kind of telescope to actually see the planets around nearby stars.

edit on 20-12-2011 by yeti101 because: (no reason given)

Ya I know but it still just fathoms me how we can make that calculation. Just crazy to imagine how far 950 million light years is. Hate to say it but if I knew once we died that we get to travel the universe I might be tempted

These planets, while roughly the size of our planet Earth, are circling very close to their star, giving them fiery temperatures that are most likely too hot to support life, researchers said.

Who defines what "life" is? These "researchers" are the same ones who thought all life had to include Phosphorus until we found out it could be substituted with Arsenic. Who are they to put boundaries on what constitutes as life?

It seems as though researchers are more interested in finding a planet that can support OUR life...and could care less about the possibilities of any other.

reply to post by Plan2exist18


they don't know definitely but what they do definitely know is complex & even intelligent life can evolve on a planet around the size of earth, orbiting at our distance from a G type star. Its about the only thing we do know and the most logical place to start.