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Astronomers confirm planet Kepler-22b as 'Earth-like Twin'

Candlelight

Candlelight

Admiral
Admiral
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16040655

Astronomers have confirmed the existence of an Earth-like planet in the "habitable zone" around a star not unlike our own.
The planet, Kepler 22-b, lies about 600 light-years away and is about 2.4 times the size of Earth, and has a temperature of about 22C.
It is the closest confirmed planet yet to one like ours - an "Earth 2.0".
During the conference at which the result was announced, the Kepler team also said that it had spotted some 1,094 new candidate planets - nearly doubling the telescope's haul of potential far-flung worlds.
Kepler 22-b was one of 54 exoplanet candidates in habitable zones reported by the Kepler team in February, and is just the first to be formally confirmed using other telescopes.
More of these "Earth 2.0" candidates are likely to be confirmed in the near future, though a redefinition of the habitable zone's boundaries has brought that number down to 48. Ten of those are Earth-sized.
Click to expand...

Which is awesome, except the article also says:

However, the team does not yet know if Kepler 22-b is made mostly of rock, gas or liquid.
Click to expand...

So... not quite an Earth-like twin...

And, for the sake of conversation, what sci fi planet name do we give it?

I'm going with Caprica until we know what the finer details are.
 
So, it's more like our evil-twin, then?

We should probably wait to get some idea what it's like before slapping a name on it, but we could always call it "The Spare" or "Earth:The Sequel."

I wouldn't want to call it Caprica, because that implies it's about to get blown to smithereens.
 
Pandora.

I like how it's an "earth twin" when we don't know if it's rocky or not and when it's twice the size of Earth.

How about we call a planet and Earth twin when it, you know, actually has the same parameters and stats as Earth!
 
Carols by Candlelight said:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16040655

Astronomers have confirmed the existence of an Earth-like planet in the "habitable zone" around a star not unlike our own.
The planet, Kepler 22-b, lies about 600 light-years away and is about 2.4 times the size of Earth, and has a temperature of about 22C.
It is the closest confirmed planet yet to one like ours - an "Earth 2.0".
During the conference at which the result was announced, the Kepler team also said that it had spotted some 1,094 new candidate planets - nearly doubling the telescope's haul of potential far-flung worlds.
Kepler 22-b was one of 54 exoplanet candidates in habitable zones reported by the Kepler team in February, and is just the first to be formally confirmed using other telescopes.
More of these "Earth 2.0" candidates are likely to be confirmed in the near future, though a redefinition of the habitable zone's boundaries has brought that number down to 48. Ten of those are Earth-sized.
Click to expand...

Which is awesome, except the article also says:

However, the team does not yet know if Kepler 22-b is made mostly of rock, gas or liquid.
Click to expand...

So... not quite an Earth-like twin...

And, for the sake of conversation, what sci fi planet name do we give it?

I'm going with Caprica until we know what the finer details are.
Click to expand...

Love news stories like this. Makes me think that the day is fast approaching for us that we'll discover that we're not alone in the universe.

Zion Ravescene said:
Trekker4747 said:
I like how it's an "earth twin" when we don't know if it's rocky or not and when it's twice the size of Earth.

How about we call a planet and Earth twin when it, you know, actually has the same parameters and stats as Earth!
Click to expand...

It's a non-identical twin. ;)

auntiehill said:
So, it's more like our evil-twin, then?
Click to expand...

We're the evil one. :evil:
Click to expand...
Whoo-hoo! The next round of Captain's women and promotions by assassination are on me!
 
I can imagine the scene:

- "I wish to complain about this planet what I explored not half an hour ago."
- "Oh yes, the Kepler 22-b. What's wrong with it?"
- "I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. It's dead, that's what's wrong with it!"
- "No, no, it's, er... it's resting."
- "Look, matey, I know a dead planet when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now."
- "No no it's not dead, it's... resting! Remarkable world, the Kepler 22-b, isn't it? Beautiful magnetosphere!"
- "The magnetosphere don't enter into it. It's stone dead."

and so on, and so on...
 
Now it seems they've found smaller planets that are of similar sizes to Earth, snappily named Kepler 20f and Kepler 20e:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16268950

In the distant past they may have been able to support life and one of them may have had conditions similar to our own planet - a so-called Earth-twin - according to the research team.

They have described their findings as the most important planets ever discovered outside our Solar System.

Details of the discovery are outlined in Nature journal.

Dr Francois Fressin, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, US, who led the research, said that the discovery was the beginning of a "new era" of discovery of many more planets similar to our own.

Both planets are now thought to be too hot to be capable of supporting life.

But according to Dr Fressin, the planets were once further from their star and cool enough for liquid water to exist on their surface, which is a necessary condition for life.
Click to expand...

Not bad. More will surely be found and analysed over the next few years, and by ever-improving methods.
 
Zion Ravescene said:
I can imagine the scene:

- "I wish to complain about this planet what I explored not half an hour ago."
- "Oh yes, the Kepler 22-b. What's wrong with it?"
- "I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. It's dead, that's what's wrong with it!"
- "No, no, it's, er... it's resting."
- "Look, matey, I know a dead planet when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now."
- "No no it's not dead, it's... resting! Remarkable world, the Kepler 22-b, isn't it? Beautiful magnetosphere!"
- "The magnetosphere don't enter into it. It's stone dead."

and so on, and so on...
Click to expand...

"Pinning for the nebula??"
 
Zion Ravescene said:
Now it seems they've found smaller planets that are of similar sizes to Earth, snappily named Kepler 20f and Kepler 20e:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16268950

In the distant past they may have been able to support life and one of them may have had conditions similar to our own planet - a so-called Earth-twin - according to the research team.

They have described their findings as the most important planets ever discovered outside our Solar System.

Details of the discovery are outlined in Nature journal.

Dr Francois Fressin, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, US, who led the research, said that the discovery was the beginning of a "new era" of discovery of many more planets similar to our own.

Both planets are now thought to be too hot to be capable of supporting life.

But according to Dr Fressin, the planets were once further from their star and cool enough for liquid water to exist on their surface, which is a necessary condition for life.
Click to expand...
Not bad. More will surely be found and analysed over the next few years, and by ever-improving methods.
Click to expand...
I hope intelligent life never evolved there. :(
 
If their inhabitable planet became uninhabitable it wouldn't do the natives any favours.

Having said that they would have a larger planet on their doorstep within reach to migrate to.

We're sort of stuck here. All alone in the night.
 
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