"Kepler-186f" – First Earth-Size Planet In The 'Habitable Zone' of Another Star
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/
NASA has discovered the first Earth-size planet in the “habitable zone” of another star. The newfound planet, called “Kepler-186f”, was first spotted by NASA’s Kepler space telescope and circles a dim red dwarf star about 490 light-years from Earth. Kepler-186f is the outermost of 5 planets orbiting the star Kepler-186. Kepler-186f orbits at a distance of 52.4 million km, theoretically within the habitable zone for a red dwarf.
[icon name=”icon-question-sign”]What is a “Habitable Zone” ?
A Habitable Zone is the range of distance from a star where liquid water might pool on the surface of an orbiting planet.
[icon name=”icon-question-sign”]Why the discovery of ‘Kepler-186f’ is being considered a special one?
The discovery of Kepler-186f, in the habitable zone planet comparable to Earth in size , supports the hypothesis that planets of the size of Earth subsist in the habitable zone of stars other than our sun and thus, it is a substantial step towards discovering worlds like our planet Earth.
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Month: Current Affairs - April, 2014
Category: Science & Technology Current Affairs