NASA Telescope Confirms Alien Planet in Habitable Zone

[BiscuitintheBasket]

http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-telescope-confirms-alien-planet-habitable-zone-162005358.html

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft has confirmed the discovery of its first alien world in its host star's habitable zone — that just-right range of distances that could allow liquid water to exist — and found more than 1,000 new explanet candidates, researchers announced today (Dec. 5).



The new finds bring the Kepler space telescope's total haul to 2,326 potential planets in its first 16 months of operation.These discoveries, if confirmed, would quadruple the current tally of worlds known to exist beyond our solar system, which recently topped 700.



The potentially habitable alien world, a first for Kepler, orbits a star very much like our own sun. The discovery brings scientists one step closer to finding a planet like our own — one which could conceivably harbor life, scientists said.

"We're getting closer and closer to discovering the so-called 'Goldilocks planet,'" Pete Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., said during a press conference today. [Gallery: The Strangest Alien Planets]



The newfound planet in the habitable zone is called Kepler-22b. It is located about 600 light-years away, orbiting a sun-like star.



Kepler-22b's radius is 2.4 times that of Earth, and the two planets have roughly similar temperatures. If the greenhouse effect operates there similarly to how it does on Earth, the average surface temperature on Kepler-22b would be 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius).



[more in article]

 

[roshinaya]

Meanwhile on Kepler-22b there is excitement that they've discovered a similar planet to their own about 600 light-years away.

 

[LordKOTL]

...So, do they call it "Vulcan"?



...come on, SOMEONE had to.

 

[BigPete]

Time to get that warp drive up and running on the old interstellar cruiser.

 

[MassHavoc]

I can't wait to colonize a new planet, this international war stuff is getting old... I can't wait for interplanetary war!

 

[Tater]

I can't wait to colonize a new planet, this international war stuff is getting old... I can't wait for interplanetary war!

I can see strangers inhabiting Uranus.

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

I can see strangers inhabiting Uranus.

Well...it is big an gassy.

 

[MassHavoc]

And inhabitable.

 

[winos5]

But will it support internet porn?

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

But will it support internet porn?

Well it is in the cloud and that is where porn comes from. So I shall call it planet iPorn.