by LEE BILLINGS
This artist’s conception depicts an Earth-like planet orbiting an evolved star that has formed a stunning “planetary nebula.” Earlier in its life, this planet may have been like one of the eight newly discovered worlds orbiting in the habitable zones of their stars. PHOTO/David A. Aguilar (CfA)
NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft finds two worlds that have sizes and orbits similar to ours
After five years of searching, researchers using data from NASA’s exoplanet-hunting Kepler spacecraft have discovered what look to be two of the most Earth-like worlds yet. Dubbed Kepler 438 b and Kepler 442 b, both planets appear to be rocky and orbit in the not-too-hot, not-too-cold habitable zones of their stars where liquid water can exist in abundance. Astronomers announced the planets along with six other newfound small, temperate worlds today at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle. Their findings will be published in The Astrophysical Journal. The discoveries double the number of known potentially habitable exoplanets. They also push Kepler’s tally of vetted, confirmed worlds to just over 1,000, marking a milestone in the mission’s epochal search for alien Earths.
Scientific American for more