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Kepler 22-b: Astronomers Discover Earth-Like Planet In 'Habitable' Zone - (PHOTOS), (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post UK   First Posted: 05/12/11 18:09 Updated: 06/12/11 13:23

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Scientists have discovered an Earth-like planet located in the "goldilocks" or "Habitable" zone, suitable for life.

Kepler 22-b, located 600 light years from earth, is more than twice the size of out own planet with an average temperature of 22C.

The news was announced by a team of astronomers on Monday, however the discoverers do not yet know if the planet is made of rock, gas or liquid.

"This is a major milestone on the road to finding Earth's twin," said Douglas Hudgins, who works on the Kepler program at Nasa.

"Kepler's results continue to demonstrate the importance of NASA's science missions, which aim to answer some of the biggest questions about our place in the universe."

The Kepler team located the planet by looking for dips in the brightness of more than 150,000 stars, searching for changes in brightness as the planet moves in front of the star.

"Fortune smiled upon us with the detection of this planet," said William Borucki, one of the principal investigators at Nasa's Ames Research Center.

"The first transit was captured just three days after we declared the spacecraft operationally ready. We witnessed the defining third transit over the 2010 holiday season."


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Scientists have discovered an Earth-like planet located in the "goldilocks" or "Habitable" zone, suitable for life. Kepler 22-b, located 600 light years from earth, is more than twice the size of ...
Scientists have discovered an Earth-like planet located in the "goldilocks" or "Habitable" zone, suitable for life. Kepler 22-b, located 600 light years from earth, is more than twice the size of ...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
LamAng
Mobilis in Mobili
225 Fans
 
15:59 on 06/12/2011
Ok, question is...when do we invade!
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bulldog77
73 Fans
23:16 on 06/12/2011
The answer is.....not just yet, we haven't managed to get to Mars yet and that's a smidgeon closer and even that trip's going to take us a good few months travelling.
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earlsspg
60 Fans
01:17 on 07/12/2011
Stop being silly, there is no oil there.
Well for the sake of anything living there let's hope not.
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Woshappenin
1 Fans
14:07 on 06/12/2011
If ther is intelligent life there they must be thankful that our species are too far away to ever travel there. Imagine the arrival of human kind. Within a short space of time half their population would be decimated by unklnown disease and any remaining would be exterminated if they did not accept that they must forget all they ever believed in and accept a new way of thinking. Missionaries? We`ve seen `em!
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cantabria
my default position is wrong
366 Fans
15:38 on 06/12/2011
well said
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
carnegie
I am.
667 Fans
06:53 on 14/12/2011
Oh I wouldn't say ever.
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philh12345
9 Fans
13:07 on 06/12/2011
Offical announcement from Kepler 22-b: "Aarrgghh, no! They've spotted us. Run for the hills!"
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stuntwoman
12 Fans
12:11 on 06/12/2011
WOW ... am I the only person who is excited by this discovery ? Surely nobody can truly believe that we are the only planet in the entire solar system to sustain intelligent life forms.
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SATCHMAN99
37 Fans
12:21 on 06/12/2011
So are you saying there are intelligent life forms on this planet? If so ..where are they? Are!! They must be the ones who are in government!!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
carnegie
I am.
667 Fans
06:54 on 14/12/2011
It's the animals, dummy.

They are the smart ones.

They have better instincts, that's for sure.
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philh12345
9 Fans
13:07 on 06/12/2011
Yup!
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toblerone
0 Fans
11:44 on 06/12/2011
Oh dear. Let's see if I can raise the tone of this discussion. It matters not whether the good folk on Kepler-22b are more or less advanced than us. The question is: What does their chocolate taste like?
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SATCHMAN99
37 Fans
11:51 on 06/12/2011
What matters most is that they may very well be watching us and wondering why we still eat Smash!!! yak yak yak yak!!!
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hjohn70435
17 Fans
11:25 on 06/12/2011
How do they know its 22C and yet cannot tell if it's rock gas or liquid?
When are we going to invade it to add to our Empire?
What sort of democracy and voting system are we going to impose. First past he post or propionate representation?
Have they got global warming? If so how are they dealing with it and how much is costing each tax payer?
Do they have a dept crisis? Which of our great leaders shall we send to sort it out, British, European ( Germany and France) Russian, Chinese or the American.
Has Richard Branson started taking bookings for holidays there?
Do they have nude beaches?
If yes can anybody give me Richards Number?
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bulldog77
73 Fans
00:50 on 07/12/2011
Can't give you Richards number regrettably but don't worry hjohn70435 ......we've all got yours! ;-)
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sagace
4 Fans
10:54 on 06/12/2011
what the astronimers are seeing is 600 years old, by now things could be totaly different, maybe its fallen into it own sun
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vedora
0 Fans
11:15 on 06/12/2011
it takes more than 600 years for a planetay body's orbit to degrade to the point that it "falls" into its host star. you're talking billions upon billions of years for such an event to occur. that planet is still there. just like the earth has been orbitting the sun for more than 4.54 billion years and we are still here.
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felipefelop
0 Fans
10:48 on 06/12/2011
This planet is 600 light years away so the what we are seeing now is 600 years old so this planet mihjt not even be there anymore
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ppenguinator
Life's too imprtant to be taken seriously.
211 Fans
 
19:03 on 06/12/2011
Unless it was attacked by the death star, it's almost certainly still there.
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realworldnews
35 Fans
10:07 on 06/12/2011
The most disheartening thing about the typical comments on a news story such as this is the witheringly small imaginations of so many people. Human progression has been based on human curiosity. Don't let's ever lose that.
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cantabria
my default position is wrong
366 Fans
15:42 on 06/12/2011
Seems a contradiction but science unfortunately puts the brakes on human curiosity
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bulldog77
73 Fans
00:59 on 07/12/2011
Curiously I can't be bothered.
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poppyA343
0 Fans
09:37 on 06/12/2011
600 light years away? Yeah real close then! What a waste of money research like this is! Put money to better use getting the country back on its feet.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Waterlooboy
Alba gu Bràth
271 Fans
14:32 on 06/12/2011
As long as we don't spend the money on poor people, who we'll always have with us to the end of the frigging world. It must go toward science, but please not climate change.
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althorpe
28 Fans
09:07 on 06/12/2011
Send Cameron, Clegg, Brown and Osborne, They can set up their own parliament and ruin that planet.
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cynic123
70 Fans
09:06 on 06/12/2011
Do we realy need to be looking for another planet to mess up?? Lets just think about it there could be life there already what do you think we would do with them???? Yep!!! lets just stay here and distroy our selves.
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bulldog77
73 Fans
01:31 on 07/12/2011
Yes there may be life there cynic123 but not as we know it......lay in a course for Kepler 22-b, ensign ....course laid in captain..........warp factor 9 ........ Engageeeeeeeeeee........sorry captain my foot slipped off the clutch........shall I have another bash sir?.........make it so ensign.
Captain ......yes Mr Warf...... I'm picking up an object.......where Mr Warf.......on the scanner sir.......well get a cloth and wipe it off then Mr Warf.........Klingons eh?
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Nanny Rosie
0 Fans
09:01 on 06/12/2011
Oh great then when we have finally destroyed this one we will have another one to start on,Hope I live that long and am up for the journey....'.That's why they call me ....Mr Fahrenheit'.
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SATCHMAN99
37 Fans
08:36 on 06/12/2011
Wow we can see that far with our technology!! What next? Exploring the Delta quadrant?
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jenny taylia
61 Fans
08:23 on 06/12/2011
why has my complaint about having my light hearted comment being removed been printed? is this a p***take or what?
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