NASA announces discovery of closest Earth like planet to dat

[GK4Herd]

I stole these summaries from Reddit...


What we know about Kepler 452-b:

• It's the smallest exoplanet discovered to date discovered orbiting in the habitable zone of a G2-class star, just like the Earth and the Sun
• Kepler-452b is 60 percent larger in diameter than Earth and is considered a super-Earth-size planet.
• It's likely rocky.
• While Kepler-452b is larger than Earth, its 385-day orbit is only 5 percent longer.
• The planet is 5 percent farther from its parent star Kepler-452 than Earth is from the Sun.
• Kepler-452 is 6 billion years old, 1.5 billion years older than our sun, has the same temperature, and is 20 percent brighter and has a diameter 10 percent larger.
• The Kepler-452 system is located 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus

• They also said that the planet is likely to have lots of clouds and possibly active volcanoes
  
  
• They also said that it receives about 10% more energy than the earth does because of the proximity and age of the nearby star, I think this would mean it would have a little bit of a higher temperature
  
  
• Also since it is 6 billion years old there is way more time than we have had on Earth for life to have developed given the chance
  
  
• For clarity, Kepler-452 is the star, and Kepler-452b is the planet
  
  
• They are confident that the planet has an atmosphere but they have no idea of its composition
  
  

 

[GK4Herd]

The most Earth like planet ever discovered...

http://gizmodo.com/this-is-the-most-earth-like-planet-ever-discovered-1719724534

 

[riflearm2]

is 20 percent brighter

The excitement factor of possibly finding aliens just went to shit knowing that it will now end up with more dorks wearing giant ray-ban aviators.

 

[extragreen]

The excitement factor of possibly finding aliens just went to shit knowing that it will now end up with more dorks wearing giant ray-ban aviators.

Even worse...an entire planet of Agent Smiths.

 

[banker6796]

Well, that bodes well for our sun not running out anytime soon. I have to be a little skeptical though. Just how do you know that data collected from 1,400 light years away can have any real value to allow that level of conclusions?

 

[GK4Herd]

Well, that bodes well for our sun not running out anytime soon. I have to be a little skeptical though. Just how do you know that data collected from 1,400 light years away can have any real value to allow that level of conclusions?

You'd be amazed at how accurately they can figure this stuff out. They discover their existence by observing them as they are in transit(passes in front of) of their star. Their speed, length of orbit, etc. can all be deduced mathematically from the measurements they take of the planet crossing the face of their star. The gravitational affects on nearby objects (wobbles and slight movements) can give indication of mass. For example, terrestrial or rocky planets are smaller and more dense than their gas giant counterparts. Based on the size of the planet (observable measure while in transit) and the amount of affect they have on nearby objects, the mass can be deduced fairly accurately. A small planet that has a larger affect on nearby objects likely have iron cores. Remember, Pluto was discovered first not by direct observation of it, but by watching the movement of other known stuff in the area. They were able to surmise location and size before it was even found. They looked where it was suppose to be and....dang, it was there.

 

[raleighherdfan]

They also said that it receives about 10% more energy than the earth does because of the proximity and age of the nearby star, I think this would mean it would have a little bit of a higher temperature

How soon before the tree huggers start their propaganda campaign to save that planet from "alien caused climate change"?

 

[GK4Herd]

But what about knowing the content of the atmosphere? That's where the two new telescopes coming into play over the next three years will help. They are a ton more powerful than Kepler and Hubble. When the planet observed is in transit, the light from the host star shines through the atmosphere. Spectrometers can deduce by the signatures of the light waves exactly what the makeup of the atmosphere is. Google spectrometer and you will see that this is one of science's greatest tools. Every elelement in existence leaves a different light signature. We can determine a lot with better telescopes and two are on the way.

 

[GK4Herd]

And another interesting bit...with this planet being 1400 light years away, we are observing the past when we look at it. What we see and discover about it will be the way it was 1400 years ago.

 

[herdfan429]

We can tell all of this stuff about a planet 1400 light years away but can't tell what the temperature is going to be or if we are going to get rain a week from now

 

[GK4Herd]

In fairness 429, everything we are discovering about the distant planets, we've known for centuries about ours. The length of our rotations, orbits, composition of atmosphere, composition of our core, etc. The weather is whole different can of worms.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

And another interesting bit...with this planet being 1400 light years away, we are observing the past when we look at it. What we see and discover about it will be the way it was 1400 years ago.

There is a lot of good science fiction based on this premise.

 

[herdfan429]

In fairness 429, everything we are discovering about the distant planets, we've known for centuries about ours. The length of our rotations, orbits, composition of atmosphere, composition of our core, etc. The weather is whole different can of worms.

Oh I know it was my bad attempt at humor.

 

[GeauxHerd]

In fairness 429, everything we are discovering about the distant planets, we've known for centuries about ours. The length of our rotations, orbits, composition of atmosphere, composition of our core, etc. The weather is whole different can of worms.

Also the weather changes based on numerous things. What they have found out are basically constants.

 

[i am herdman]

So who gets the hundred million dollars?