NASA finds new Earth is right for life

A PLANET capable of supporting life has been found in a distant solar system. It has been dubbed Kepler-22b after NASA's Kepler space telescope, which first spied the planet in 2009. Scientists say its location in the habitable zone - where liquid water could exist - means conditions are right for the planet to support life.

Another feature giving astronomers hope is its relatively small size. Kepler-22b is just 2.4 times the size of the Earth, compared to Jupiter, which is 10 times larger than Earth.

''Small planets tend to be the rocky planets,'' said Sydney University ARC postdoctoral fellow Dennis Stello, who works with Kepler. ''When looking for something that is Earth-like, we look for something that is roughly the same size, because if you have a big gas giant in the habitable zone, it's still a gas giant. You wouldn't have a surface you could walk on.''

Dr Stello works with NASA, aiding their planet hunting programs by assessing Kepler data, especially the variations in brightness of stars that have planets. These variations tell scientists about the interior of the star, which is key to understanding each planet system. Knowing the size of the star also helps estimate the size of the planet.

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Source: http://www.blacktownsun.com.au/

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