Two most Earth-like planets found

LONDON: Earth’s closest twins have been found.

The two most Earth-like planets – Kepler-438b and Kepler-442b have been found orbiting red dwarf stars that are smaller and cooler than our Sun.

Kepler-438b circles its star every 35 days, while Kepler-442b completes one orbit every 112 days.

With a diameter just 12% bigger than Earth, Kepler-438b has a 70% chance of being rocky, according to scientists.

Kepler-442b is about one-third larger than Earth, but still has a 60% chance of being rocky.

Kepler-438b receives about 40% more light than Earth. In comparison, Venus gets twice as much solar radiation as Earth. As a result, the team calculates it has a 70% likelihood of being in the habitable zone of its star.

Kepler-442b get about two-thirds as much light as Earth.

The scientists give it a 97% chance of being in the habitable zone.

Astronomers have found eight new planets in the Goldilocks zone of their stars, orbiting at a distance where liquid water can exist on the planet’s surface.

Among these eight, the team identified two that are the most similar to Earth of any known exoplanets to date.

This doubles the number of small planets (less than twice the diameter of Earth) believed to be in the habitable zone of their parent stars… see more

source: times of india

Tags: Earth-like planets, Science

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