An artist’s concept of Kepler-186f. (NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech)
Right now, 500 light years away from Earth, there’s a planet that looks a lot like our own. It is bathed in dim orangeish light, which at high noon is only as bright as the golden hour before sunset back home.
NASA scientists are calling the planet Kepler-186f, and it’s unlike anything they’ve found. The big news: Kepler-186f is the closest relative to the Earth that researchers have discovered.
It’s the first Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of another star—the sweet spot between too-hot Mercury-like planets and too-cold Neptunes— and it is likely to give scientists their first real opportunity to seek life elsewhere in the universe. “It’s no longer in the realm of science fiction,” said Elisa Quintana, a researcher at the SETI Institute.
via This Is Big: Scientists Just Found Earth’s First Cousin – Adrienne LaFrance – The Atlantic.
More at the New York Times:
‘Earth Twin’ Is Found, Or Perhaps a Cousin – NYTimes.com.
The only downside, you would weigh more there because the planet has a greater mass than Earth, but on the other side, how fantastic is that! A habitable planet, besides ours!!! Cheers!
Yeah but are there any good restaurants?
I certainly hope so, although a “green” salad there will be orange and red…
Ahhhhh!!! Exciting!!!
I’m betraying my age but, it’s so COOL!
As long as it’s not Adrienne Maloof…. 😛
I must be in an evil mood because I just looked up before and after pictures…
“There’s got to be intelligent life somewhere out in Space…because there’s bugger-all down here on Earth!”
It always made sense that there were other habitable planets out there, now at last there is proof! But, my God, what an exciting name they’ve come up with for the planet. 😉
Kepler-186f, I wonder about 186a-e?
http://youtu.be/buqtdpuZxvk