Kepler 452b is said to sit in the middle of the abiogenesis zone. Image: NASA
Scientists have discovered nearly 4,000 planets outside our solar system where the same chemical conditions that may have prompted life on Earth exist.
- These planets orbit around the star and not the sun
- Of these, only about 50 are known to occupy their star's habitable zone
Out of those, one planet has emerged as the most likely planet outside our solar system to support alien life.
It is called Kepler 452b and is one-and-a-half times the size of Earth.
Kepler's search for an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a star like our sun. (Image: NASA)
All about the newly-found habitable planet
Kepler 452b is one of the numerous planets discovered by the Kepler telescope, an orbiting observatory that was launched by NASA in 2009 to find exoplanets -- planets outside our own solar system.
It is 1,400 light years away but according to scientists, it is in the middle of a zone which possesses the right conditions for life to be hosted.
- This research was published in the journal Science Advances
- The exoplanet was discovered in 2015 and was dubbed as Earth's 'cousin'
- Computer simulations suggest it has a thick atmosphere, liquid surface water, and active volcanoes
RESEARCHERS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE AND THE MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL LABORATORY OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY WHO CONDUCTED THE RESEARCH FOUND IT LIES IN THE CENTRE OF A NEWLY IDENTIFIED "ABIOGENESIS ZONE".
What is the abiogenesis zone?
It is a region of the solar system where the level of ultraviolet light is right to stimulate the chemical reactions that can lead to early life.
Next-generation telescopes, such as NASA's TESS and James Webb Telescopes, will hopefully be able to identify and potentially characterise many more planets that lie within the abiogenesis zone, according to the researchers.
The exoplanet also orbits inside the "Goldilocks" or "habitable" zone with temperatures at the right level to permit liquid surface water.
The newly-found habitable planet was found by NASA's Kepler telescope. (Image: NASA)
Kepler 452b is also a super-Earth
The exoplanet, Kepler 452b, has also been described as a 'super-Earth' because its mass is higher than Earth's but much less than the larger planets of the solar system, like Jupiter and Saturn, which are known as gas giants.
"This work allows us to narrow down the best places to search for life", said Dr Paul Rimmer, lead scientist from Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory.
Further, he added that "it brings us just a little bit closer to addressing the question of whether we are alone in the universe."
Goldilocks zone
It refers to the habitable zone around a star where the temperature is just right -- not too hot and not too cold -- for liquid water to exist on a planet.
- Looking for planets in the Goldilocks Zone is a way that allows scientists to search for Earth-like planets that could contain life
Basically, the assumption is that if it's possible there may be liquid water on the planet, then it's also possible that the planet may be habitable.
Further scope of Kepler 452b
Scientists say that if there is life on Kepler 452b and other planets the telescopes may find, it may be of a completely different type from that of earth.
- Kepler 452b is too far away to probe with current technology as of now
Discovering the first habitable planets
In December 2011 Kepler 22b was confirmed as the first potentially habitable planet orbiting in the Goldilocks Zone of a Sun-like star but is more than twice the size of Earth and therefore unlikely to have a solid surface.
Kepler 186f was discovered in April 2014 and is the first Earth-size planet found in the habitable zone about half the size and mass of our sun.
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