Scientists have recently discovered a planet that is roughly the size of the Earth. Kelper 78b, which was discovered in August 2013 is believed to not only be close to Earth in size but it also has about the same density. There are however a few discernible differences.
Kelper 78b has a diameter of 9,000 miles, which makes it about 20% larger than the Earth. Scientists believe that this means that the exoplanet has a similar composition of iron and rock. But, that's about all that's relatively the same. The planet's orbit is only a mere one million miles away from it's sun, and it completes that orbit in just eight hours. Temperatures there, are at least 2,000 degrees hotter than the Earth, too high to support life.
What has been puzzling for researchers is how the planet came to be and how it happens to be where it is. It's not possible for it to have formed within its sun. And, if it had formed further outward and then migrated inward, it would have been drawn all the way into it's sun.
Kelper 78b is a member of a new class of planets that have been discovered by NASA's Kelper space telescope. These planets are small with an orbit around their sun of 12 hours or less. Kelper 78b is the first of these planets to have it's mass measured. Kelper 78b orbits what is considered to be a G-type star 400 light years from us, in the Cygnus constellation.
Of course, no matter how Kelper 78b came to be, it's obvious that it won't be around forever. Eventually, gravitational tidal forces will cause it's orbit to decay and it will fall into it's sun. But, as we continue to search for Earth like planets, it appears that we are getting closer.
Someday, we all may be surprised to find out that an Earth like planet has been discovered in some far away solar system, in it's habitable, or what scientist call, the "Goldilocks," zone. Would it also be a revelation if oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and liquid water were found there as well?
No comments:
Post a Comment