So there’s this planet, and the NASA minds have named it Kepler 22-b. It was discovered using the Kepler telescope (whoever thinks of names at NASA needs a kicking), which registers the amount of light given off by any star it chooses to peer suspiciously at. If the amount of light dips for any length of time, that usually means a planet has passed in front of the star, otherwise known as a partial eclipse. Either that or an Eldrich abomination space Cthulu decided to go for a float.

Being generally clever, using mathematics and their observations, NASA is even able to calculate the distance of the planet, the size of the planet and maybe even what it is made out of. Don’t ask me how. The important thing is that they’ve discovered the planet sits snuggly in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone, ie, not too cold, not too hot, for life to develop. Though this always seemed an arrogant presumption to me, as if we understand or have a monopoly on where life can develop. Though I suppose we know for a FACT that life can develop in an eco system such as the one on Earth, so it makes logical sense to search there first.

“This discovery supports the growing belief that we live in a universe crowded with life,”

said Dr Alan Boss, from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC

Either way, Kepler 22-b is the closest we’ve found thus far to an Earth like planet and is the best chance we have at finding a planet other than the Earth that can support life; alien or our own. I’m practically packing my bags already. How long will the trip take again? What’s that? Several hundred thousand years, at least. Fuckin’ space. All big and empty. *grumbles*

[The Telegraph]

06 Dec This entry was written by badbabbler and published on December 6, 2011 at 7:52 PM. It’s filed under Awesome and tagged kepler 22-b, space. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.