14 DAY TRIAL // A team of researchers writing in the April 18 issue of the journal Science detail how NASA's Kepler space telescope managed to pin down a pair of exoplanets which appear to be the most Earth-like discovered up to this date.
The claim that these two planets are the most Earth-like ever found is based on the fact that their size is fairly similar to that of our planet.
Thus, Kepler-62f's diameter is said to be about 41% larger than that of the Earth. Kepler-62e is argued to have a diameter roughly 61% larger than that of our planet.
According to Nature, the planets are located in the habitable zone of the star they orbit.
Because of this, researchers suspect that their temperature might make it possible for the planets to “house” water in its liquid form.
Commenting on the discovery of these planets, scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton wished to stress the fact that, although the properties of these planets suggest that they are habitable, they might lack the amounts of carbon dioxide needed to keep them warm enough for liquid water to exist on their surface.
The two planets orbit a star known to the scientific community as Kepler-62. While Kepler-62f takes 267 days to orbit this star, Kepler-62e has an orbit of just 122 days.
As far as the researchers can tell, these two planets are solid ones. However, it is yet to be determined whether the planets are solid or icy.
The two planets belong to a group of five that all circle the Kepler-62 star.
“The detection and confirmation of planets is an enormously collaborative effort of talent and resources, and requires expertise from across the scientific community to produce these tremendous results,” scientist William Borucki reportedly argued.
Furthermore, “Kepler has brought a resurgence of astronomical discoveries and we are making excellent progress toward determining if planets like ours are the exception or the rule.”