NASA's Kepler Mission Finds Earth-size Planet Candidates in Habitable Zone

[Joanne98]

Run time: 02:45 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhWReKpM1tg   Posted on YouTube: February 02, 2011 By YouTube Member: nasaames Views on YouTube: 6576   Posted on DU: February 03, 2011 By DU Member: Joanne98 Views on DU: 717

 
NASA's Kepler mission has discovered its first Earth-size planet candidates and its first candidates in the habitable zone, a region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Five of the potential planets are near Earth-size and orbit in the habitable zone of smaller, cooler stars than our sun.

Kepler also found six confirmed planets orbiting a sun-like star, Kepler-11. This is the largest group of transiting planets orbiting a single star yet discovered outside our solar system. Located approximately 2,000 light years from Earth, Kepler-11 is the most tightly packed planetary system yet discovered. All six of its confirmed planets have orbits smaller than Venus, and five of the six have orbits smaller than Mercury's.

For more information about the Kepler Mission, please visit http://www.nasa.gov/kepler

[Joanne98]

1. NASA's Kepler Finds Its First "Goldilocks" Candidates

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZHSptpDoLQ

[Shining Jack]

2. K&R

That's so exiting! :bounce:

[Atypical Liberal]

3. Our eyes are just barely opening.

This is an amazing time. This is what they have discovered in a mere 4 months of looking. Imagine what we are on the verge of seeing out there. It has not been that long that we have been able to assume the presence of planets by the gravitational wobble of their parent starts. Now wee are now in our infancy of being able to directly view planets orbiting other starts. I bet in the next decade we are going to be astonished by what we are able to see out there.

[The Doctor.]

4. Can we leave the teabaggers here?

They don't believe in science anyhow. :shrug:

[Uncle Joe]

5. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Joanne.