From Kepler: Dozens of Earths in the habitable zone
At a press conference today the science team at Kepler announced a swath of new discoveries from the space telescope, all of which point to the impending discovery of multiple Earth-like planets capable of harboring life.
- The confirmation of a rocky planet 2.4 times the mass of the Earth in the habitable zone of a star, with an orbit 290 days long. Though the planet, Kepler-22B, is slightly closer to its star than the Earth, the star, a G star like our sun and six hundred light years away, is also slightly dimmer. The scientists estimate that the planet’s average surface temperature would be approximately 72 degrees Fahrenheit!
- The telescope now has more than 2326 planet candidates, with 207 approximately Earth-size, 680 super Earth-size, 1,181 Neptune-size, 203 Jupiter-size, and 55 larger than Jupiter.
- Of these, 48 candidate planets are considered to be in the habitable zone, 10 of which are approximately Earth-sized. Five of these are considered “very robust candidates,” according to Natalie Batalha of the Kepler team. “Many of these planets could harbor life,” added project scientist Bill Borucki.
Because of the significance of this new Kepler data, the SETI Institute has been using the Allen Telescope Array to focus its search to these planets in particular, looking for any evidence of intelligent radio signals.
I must unfortunately ask you for your financial support because I do not depend on ads and rely entirely on the generosity of readers to keep Behind the Black running. You can either make a one time donation for whatever amount you wish, or you sign up for a monthly subscription ranging from $2 to $15 through Paypal or $3 to $50 through Patreon.
Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Your support is even more essential to me because I not only keep this site free from advertisements, I do not use the corrupt social media companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook to promote my work. I depend wholly on the direct support of my readers.
You can provide that support to Behind The Black with a contribution via Patreon or PayPal. To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation. For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If Patreon or Paypal don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
Or you can donate by using Zelle through your bank. You will need to give my name and email address (found at the bottom of the "About" page). The best part of this electronic option is that no fees will be deducted! What you donate will be what I receive.
If I recall correctly, less than 2 years ago, someone predicted we’d confirm at least one Earth-size planet in the habitable zone within 5 years – obviously, it’s happened a lot faster than that. The way things are going, it may not be long before we identify an Earth-size planet, within the habitable zone, with Earth-like characteristics – an O2-rich atmosphere & liquid water, which would theoretically make it ideal for life. Exciting stuff…
I’d come to give the go-ahead with you here. Which is not something I typically do! I love reading a post that will make people think. Also, thanks for allowing me to comment!