Add 54 planets capable of life

The latest information from NASA shows that there are 54 extrasolar planets that contain potential for life. But don't be happy because the "score" for the planet with the most Earth-like condition is only 1/4.

In just one year of observing a small part of the galaxy, the Kepler telescope discovered 1235 planets outside the solar system. Surprisingly, 54 of them seem to contain life - meaning neither too hot nor too cold - says William Borucki, Kepler's leading scientist.

Illustration of Kepler telescope on orbit.

So far, only two planets outside the solar system are considered to be in the Goldilocks zone - the region around which a star is located around a star whose temperature is neither too hot nor too cold. however, both of these discoveries are still being debated. Therefore, 54 life-threatening planets are 'a huge and incredible number,' Borucki said. 'It is surprising to see such a large number because so far, the number is zero.'

More than 1,200 celestial bodies have not been identified as a planet, but according to Borucki, 80% of these will soon be classified. Astronomers believe that the Kepler telescope achieves an accuracy of up to 90%.

About astronomy excited

Exotic extraterrestrial life is still far away

A planet defined in zone HB does not mean there is life; Mars is an example, even when discovered to contain life, but it is not intellectual life. There are many other important aspects to assess residency such as reasonable size, structure, temperature, distance to stars, atmospheric conditions, presence of water and carbon that have not yet been built for glass. Kepler astronomy.

Despite being in the Milky Way, traveling to these exoplanets is unbelievable. A star system with six planets that Kepler has discovered about 2,000 light-years from Earth, a light-year equivalent of 6 billion miles.

Before Wednesday, the number of alien planets was determined to be 519. And after Kepler's findings, the number has increased by three. However, these findings lie on only one of the 400 photographs that Kepler recorded, so planet numbers must be hundreds of times larger, Borucki said.

This makes astronomers excited, the more planets, the higher the likelihood of survival in the outer space. Yale University astronomer Debra Fischer, NASA expert thinks that new information 'gives us a more solid step' about the worlds of life. Lisa Kaltenegger, Harvard astronomer also saw these findings as 'fascinating news'.

Kepler also found that the planet is relatively smaller than the big planets, which is also a good signal because according to astronomers, a planet needs solidity for life to grow, if the planet is too big. often in gas form, such as Jupiter.

68 Kepler planets discovered to be Earth-sized, 288 planets about twice the Earth, these planets are located in a favorable position for life.

Only 5 of the 54 planets contain Earth-sized life, the rest are close to gaseous forms like Neptune or Jupiter, Borucki said.

Measure the value of the planet into USD

To be in the habitable zone, the planet must have a reasonable distance from its star. This distance will vary depending on the size of the star. NASA considers the temperature of the habitable zone between 0 and 200 degrees F.

Because many factors can affect the planet's ability to reside, the Greg Laughlin astronomer of the University of California Santa Cruz created a formula to calculate the value for the planet in USD, in which planet most Earth varieties will be worth 1 million USD.

Until Wednesday, the highest value belonged to an exoplanet of only $ 158, but one of the planets that Kepler has discovered is worth nearly $ 1 million, Laughlin said.

6 mysterious alien planets

Kepler was launched in 2009, revolving around the sun in orbit between Earth and Mars. Kepler needs time to find and identify the planet by observing whether an object repeats its orbit around its star.

Kepler's scientists are very strict in determining the habitat potential of the planet. Of the 400 planets published last year, only 9 are recognized.

This year, with 800 'candidates' located both inside and outside the habitable zone only 6 were recognized, the rest were too hot. These 6 planets all share strange features: all are dense blocks and revolve around a star; 5 of them are very close to the star - more than Mercury near our sun and they move with stable orbits in a circular path.