Newly discovered planet 'Kepler-22b' is eerily similar to Earth, NASA finds

Newly discovered planet 'Kepler-22b' is eerily similar to Earth, NASA finds

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The new planet - named Kepler-22b - has key aspects it shares with Earth. It circles a star that could be the twin of our sun and at just about the same distance. The planet's year of 290 days is even close to ours. It likely has water and rock.

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(vi sit the link for the full news article)

This new planet was discovered Monday and is surprisingly close to Earth, except for the fact that it is slightly larger. It is pretty exciting though as it lies right outside our galaxy at only 600 light years away. The planet even looks stunning. I really hope they start researching this planet some more. I'd love to hear more about it.

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(visit the link for the full news article)

unless we drop the fossil fuel, we wont ever be getting there

Hi,


What do they mean by "the twin" of our sun? As in a binary twin?

Originally posted by illuminatislave
Hi,


What do they mean by "the twin" of our sun? As in a binary twin?

I can't really say other than I think perhaps they mean it is identical in size (??) Not really sure, to be honest.

Originally posted by XelNaga
unless we drop the fossil fuel, we wont ever be getting there

Or find a massive deposit of fossil fuels there!!!

Nah, you're probably right though.

I want to know what criteria NASA uses to define eeriness.

ETA: In terms of 'twin' of the sun, I would think it would be defined by age, size and mass. There are probably other things considered too, but I would think these would be the main ones.

Oh Snaps.............

Our sun is a "G2V" classed star, a "Yellow Dwarf". By "twin" they probably mean that it is similarly classed.

A G-type main-sequence star (G V), often (and imprecisely) called a yellow dwarf, is a main-sequence star of spectral type G and luminosity class V.

Other G V stars include Alpha Centauri A, Tau Ceti, and 51 Pegasi.

This is actually sweet because it shows how commonplace planets similar to our own actually are. If we have found one already that means there are hundreds of thousands to millions of planets like this in our own galaxy.

And who knows how many are like this in other galaxies, perhaps countless.

Very very good news.

Originally posted by muzzleflash
Our sun is a "G2V" classed star, a "Yellow Dwarf". By "twin" they probably mean that it is similarly classed.

A G-type main-sequence star (G V), often (and imprecisely) called a yellow dwarf, is a main-sequence star of spectral type G and luminosity class V.

Other G V stars include Alpha Centauri A, Tau Ceti, and 51 Pegasi.

This is actually sweet because it shows how commonplace planets similar to our own actually are. If we have found one already that means there are hundreds of thousands to millions of planets like this in our own galaxy.

And who knows how many are like this in other galaxies, perhaps countless.

Very very good news.

edit on 5-12-2011 by muzzleflash because: (no reason given)

it hurts my brain to think that it's possible for there to be a billion earthlike planets, base minimum in this galaxy alone.

that puts the estimate at a trillion earth like planets with ease in our local group alone...

with the probability leaning towards a lot of them having technological abilties much like our own, its safe to say,
we are not alone out there!!!

Originally posted by muzzleflash
Our sun is a "G2V" classed star, a "Yellow Dwarf". By "twin" they probably mean that it is similarly classed.

A G-type main-sequence star (G V), often (and imprecisely) called a yellow dwarf, is a main-sequence star of spectral type G and luminosity class V.

Other G V stars include Alpha Centauri A, Tau Ceti, and 51 Pegasi.

This is actually sweet because it shows how commonplace planets similar to our own actually are. If we have found one already that means there are hundreds of thousands to millions of planets like this in our own galaxy.

And who knows how many are like this in other galaxies, perhaps countless.

Very very good news.

edit on 5-12-2011 by muzzleflash because: (no reason given)

I see. Thanks for the contribution. I don't really know what the typing of stars means but if it is similar, that is pretty sweet.

It says the planet is 2x the size of Earth, which would mean gravity is more intense on the surface. (Depending on composition / density).

If there is a moon or moons of significant size and within the correct orbital distance/patterns it should balance out that gravity to some extent.

A very advanced form of terraforming would be to bring in an additional satellite of correct mass that could be placed at the right distance and this would further balance the gravity to an acceptable level.

We could totally inhabit this planet despite it's size with a few modifications.

However it is a bit to big for life on the surface?

IT's 2.4X the size of earth. I didn't think that would be too big. Anyways that life in our general know-how sense of life.

I'm sure life could be supported in the oceans though. Amazing.

Originally posted by ErroneousDylan

I see. Thanks for the contribution. I don't really know what the typing of stars means but if it is similar, that is pretty sweet.

Here is a little information to get you started.

Stellar Classification wiki

Enjoy the reading whenever you get the time.

Also just because it is 2.4x larger than Earth doesn't automatically mean that it's gravity is more intense now that I think about it.

We need to know the composition of it as well.

Here is an example:

Saturn is only 95 Earth masses,[5] compared to Jupiter, which is 318 times the mass of the Earth[22] but only about 20% larger than Saturn.[23]

If it is of a particular composition than it could actually have the same gravity despite being larger.

Saturn

Equatorial radius 60,268 ± 4 km
9.4492 Earths

Equatorial surface gravity 10.44 m/s²
1.065 g

Jupiter

Equatorial radius 71,492 ± 4 km
11.209 Earths

Equatorial surface gravity 24.79 m/s²
2.528 g

So Jupiter is only slightly larger than Saturn, but it is much more dense, so it's gravity is much stronger.
Saturn wiki
Jupiter wiki

Just imagine there are 100's of thousands of planets like this close by that are similar to earth... what else is a bit of a brain teaser... is that we 'humans' who just reached space 50+ish years ago... are now finding these new earth-like planets... just imagine a race like ours... but 10,000 years or more advanced than us... finding earth the same way we found these other planets... makes you think... that we are being watched/observed by races other than our own from a distance with... or without the capability of traveling here...

But then again... just imagine... again a race thats a billion years older than ours!

I really hope this story reaches more people... Wake them up to the reality that we are NOT alone in this universe!

reply to post by ErroneousDylan


All I can say is two little words: PROJECT BLUEBEAM.

could this be fluffer filling to begin the series of ideas for a fake alien invasion?

My only proof is this.... According to NASA. we JUST learned of water and O3 on the moon, WE have NO clue as far as Mars having water (or the face of mars or the roads and a pyramids)

NOW they say we FOUND a planet, get this 600 LIGHT YEARS AWAY! that MAY be like earth? BS we don't know the DARK Side of the moon let ALONE 600 LYA!

I think we should start shooting missiles at it now.

Just in case

Nothing about this planet is eerily similar to earth sorry to say.
Another BS discovery trying to equate Earth to things that are not only unknown but too different as well. I expected this much already.

Eerily similar means..................Blue sky, lots of water, Continents, 300+ days a year, and most of all...........Size.
Standing by for the flames.

When you find the above let me know.

reply to post by ErroneousDylan

Hey there, Dylan.

Originally posted by ErroneousDylan


This new planet was discovered Monday and is surprisingly close to Earth, except for the fact that it is slightly larger.

It's radius is 2.4 times the size of Earth's, so it's actually much larger.

Originally posted by ErroneousDylan
It is pretty exciting though as it lies right outside our galaxy at only 600 light years away.

No, it's in our own galaxy, the Milky Way.

Originally posted by ErroneousDylan
The planet even looks stunning.

That's just an artist's representation.

reply to post by merkej23


Please do some more research, there have been plenty of opportunities like this in the past and TPTB have never done anything about it.

BS we don't know the DARK Side of the moon let ALONE 600 LYA!

There have actually been pictures of the far (I assume that's what you mean by "dark" side) side of the moon since the mid-20th century.