NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope found a star that contained three planets. One of these planets may have the potential to sustain life. This discovery has been incredibly exciting for the astronomical community. These planets are just slightly larger than Earth. One of them orbits in what NASA refers to as a “Goldilocks zone”, which means that the surface temperature is at the right level for life and water. It is about half the diameter of our sun and is a M-dwarf named EPIC 201367065. At a distance of 150 million light years, it is among the 10 closest stars that has transiting planets. It’s far enough away that researchers can see whether the conditions of the planets are comparable to Earth. This would allow them to determine if the planets could support life. Ian Crossfield from the University of Arizona, who was the lead of the research, stated that “a thin atmosphere of nitrogen and oxygen has enabled life to thrive in Earth.” Nature is filled with surprises. Exoplanets found by Kepler are often enveloped in thick, hydrogen-rich atmospheres, which are likely to be incompatible with our current understanding of life.” Astronomers from the University of Arizona and University of California, Berkeley conducted the study. Here is a breakdown of all three planets. The planets are 1.5,1.7 and 2.1 times bigger than Earth. Erik Petigura, a UC Berkeley graduate student, said that the smallest of these planets orbits too far from its star so it receives light in a similar way to the Sun. Petigura discovered the planets in a computer-based analysis of Kepler data NASA provided to astronomers. Petigura calculated that three of the planets received 10.5, and 3.2, respectively, the same light intensity as Earth. “Most of the planets that we’ve found so far are scorched. Petigura stated that this system was the nearest star to which there are lukewarm transiting worlds. Petigura stated that there is the possibility that the outermost star is rock-like like Earth. This means that it could be able to sustain liquid water oceans. Also, we discovered Earth-sized planets made from the same material as Earth. Photo credit: NASA Ames/JPL–Caltech/T Pyle Unexpected discovery. The Kepler telescope’s two reaction wheels, which kept the Kepler telescope facing in a certain spot in space, were lost. This was a tremendous achievement and an unanticipated one. Petigura stated that this discovery shows that K2 can find interesting and compelling planets, despite its limitations. NASA engineers and scientists are credited with ingenuity for this innovative new Kepler use. The discovery of Kepler is a proof that Kepler still can do great science.” This abstract explains how the discovery proves the potential of K2 as well future space-based transit searches for many interesting objects. Refer to: “A Nearby M Star with Three Transiting Super Earths Discovered by K2” Ian J. M. Crossfield Erik Petigura Joshua Schlieder, and others.
