Kepler discovers first Earth-size exoplanet in the habitable zone
NASA’s Kepler space telescope has found an Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone of its parent star. The planet, designated Kepler-186f, is about 500 light years distant and is the first such exoplanet discovered, raising hopes that Earth-size planets are relatively common in the universe. As discussed in our Astrobiology FAQ, the ‘habitable zone’ is the orbital distance from a star at which any water found on a planet surface would remain liquid. Other exoplanets have been found in their respective habitable zones before this discovery, however this is the first time...
Read MoreHunting for planets with Plato
A new mission has been selected by the European Space Agency to hunt for Sun-Earth systems beyond our solar system. PLATO (Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) will be tasked with identifying systems similar to our own, looking for Earth-sized and super-Earth planets orbiting within their host star’s habitable zone. Find our more here.
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