Kepler 22b, space, space exploration
Enthusiasts of space exploration were thrilled earlier this month by the discovery of a new exoplanet (also called an ‘extrasolar planet’; a planet outside of our own solar system) that just may support life. NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope already has a distinguished track record of locating new worlds outside of our solar system, but this latest find has the added intrigue of being located just the right distance away from its parent star.
Keppler 22bs chief point of interest is of course its location within the so-called ‘Goldilocks Zone’; it is neither too far nor too close to its sun. At this ideal distance, there is a chance that the planet may actually have liquid water, and so there is a chance (however slight) that it may have life of some form or another on its surface. If, of course, it has a surface at all.
Scientists have as yet been unable to learn of the planets actual composition, though they have been able to list out a few interesting possibilities. 22b is 2.4 times the size of Earth, making it actually a bit on the small side when it comes to potentially inhabitable planets. In fact, of the other possibly habitable planets that the Kepler telescope has discovered, 22b is the closest in terms of size to Earth itself.
Unfortunately, without more accurate readings, it’s impossible to determine if the planet is similar to Earth in terms of composition (i.e. a rocky surface with a molten core) or if it’s a gas planet more on par with Neptune. It’s also entirely possible that even if 22b has a surface, it may be comprised almost entirely of liquid water; an ocean world, in other words.
Other important factors might also affect the planets standing as a possibly habitable world. Scientists at NASA have thus far been unable to determine whether or not the planet has an atmosphere or not. If the planet doesn’t have an atmosphere, it would likely have a surface temperature of around negative eleven degrees Celsius; not exactly ideal, but not insurmountable either.
If 22b has an atmosphere with a balance of greenhouse gases similar to our own, it would have a surface temperature of around twenty two degrees Celsius (around seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit).
It’s also entirely possible that the planet has a very thick atmosphere, similar to Venus’. If it did have a similarly high concentration of greenhouse gases, then the surface temperature could conceivably be as high as four-hundred and sixty degrees Celsius, putting well outside an easily inhabitable range.
Another concern is that the planet’s overall orbit has not yet been observed. Many planet’s similar to Kepler 22b have very pronounced elliptical orbits; thus, it’s entirely possible that the planet only stays in the system’s habitable zone for a relatively brief period, likewise making it unsuitable for life as we know it.
Kepler 22b represents an intriguing possibility for proponents of space travel, but it’s too soon to say whether or not the world may actually hold life, or once held life. However, this world puts extoplanet hunters one step closer to the ultimate goal of discovering a ‘Second Earth’.