Kepler

Kepler

Several days back, scientists announced the discovery of a planet in the habitable zone called Kepler-22b. It is located about 600 light-years away, orbiting a sun-like star. If the greenhouse effect operates there similarly to how it does on Earth, the average surface temperature on Kepler-22b would be 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius).

This is only the beginning, considering the Kepler spacecraft has already detected more than 1,000 exoplanets. The far more interesting discovery will be the determination of the planet's chemical make-up.

There is new software being creating to assist with the rendering of exoplanets, but in the meantime here's an artist's rendition of what the planet may look like.

Artist's Rendition of Kepler-22b

Lonely Rogue Worlds Surprisingly Outnumber Planets with Suns

Lonely Rogue Worlds Surprisingly Outnumber Planets with Suns

Mike Wall, SPACE.com Senior Writer,
Space.com Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer,
space.com – Wed May 18, 6:00 pm ET

Artist's conception provided

This artist's conception provided by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory-Caltech shows a newly discovered type of planet that wanders freely or follows very loose orbits. Astronomers have the mysterious denizens of the Milky Way are apparently as common as the stars. One expert called the discovery a huge surprise.… Read more »

(AP Photo/NASA JPL-Caltech)

Is the Rocky Alien Planet Gliese 581d Really Habitable?

I am a science nut. So stuff like this really interests me. I also enjoy a good artist's rendition. Artists always make the scene much more spectacular than it actually is.

Image released by European Southern Observatory

An image released by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) shows an artist's impression of the atmosphere around a super-Earth exoplanet, the name given to rocky exoplanets only a few times larger than our own. Gliese 581d, a rocky world orbiting a nearby star, has been confirmed as the first planet outside our solar system to meet key requirements for sustaining life, scientists say.

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