What belonged to the sphere of science fiction until recently is now a scientific reality. NASA confirmed that Kepler 22-B, an "exoplanet" which is located 600 years of light away from the Earth, might be hosting life.
This is how NASA's artist imagined Kepler 22-B. In fact, noone knows wether the planet has clouds or sea, if it is a rocky or gas planet. It is 2 and a half times bigger than the Earth, located in the "temperate zone" of the solar system, that is in a point where the existence of water in a liquid state is allowed on its surface. It revolves around its star in a distance 15% shorter than that which separates the Earth from the Sun. However, because its sun transmits 25% less light than ours, the conditions are much alike the ones on the Earth. The average temperature on Kepler 22-B is estimated at around 22°C.
Kepler 22-Β is the first planet for which there is confirmation that it could be hosting forms of life. But it's not the only one. NASA is examining data on another 47 possibly inhabitable planets.
This is how NASA's artist imagined Kepler 22-B. In fact, noone knows wether the planet has clouds or sea, if it is a rocky or gas planet. It is 2 and a half times bigger than the Earth, located in the "temperate zone" of the solar system, that is in a point where the existence of water in a liquid state is allowed on its surface. It revolves around its star in a distance 15% shorter than that which separates the Earth from the Sun. However, because its sun transmits 25% less light than ours, the conditions are much alike the ones on the Earth. The average temperature on Kepler 22-B is estimated at around 22°C.
Kepler 22-Β is the first planet for which there is confirmation that it could be hosting forms of life. But it's not the only one. NASA is examining data on another 47 possibly inhabitable planets.
Original post by Dimitris Alexakis
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