Monday, May 20, 2013

Earth-like Planets Discovered



Earth-like Planets Discovered

            Two earthlike planets, called Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f, have been found about 1,200 light years away from earth. These planets are 1.4 and 1.6 times the earth's diameter, respectively, and are in the exact zone of habitation in which scientists think liquid water can be present, from their sun, which is smaller than ours. A lot of debate surrounds which of the two planets is more worth investigating into, and many scientists disagree which one is most likely to be able to sustain life; however, Kepler-62e is ranked as the most likely to have life by Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico, which has done analysis on both planets.

NoS Themes
·         Science is collaborative
·         Science is based on evidence
·         Conflicts within the scientific community
·         Role of motivation and curiousity

For more information, go to:
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349783/description/Most_Earthlike_planets_yet_seen_bring_Kepler_closer_to_its_holy_grail

Sam Pahl
Hour 1

3 comments:

  1. I would love to add Science is subject to debate and tentative to your list of NOS themes. A while ago, humans would have refused to believe this was possible, to have 2 planets like earth! Also, it is still subject to debate whether or not Kepler-62e is more likely to have life than Kepler-62f.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think this is an interesting article! I agree with Lexi, it's amazing how far we've come in discovering new planets and possible life forms. The Kepler-62e sounds very similar to our moon! I would also like to add the NOS: Role of Skepticism, because even though it is backed by credible research, there are a few people who would be hesitant to believe that life on other planets is even remotely possible. Also, some people would say that this kind of research should not be done.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This article is interesting because it's cool to think that there could be another planet like ours somewhere out there. I wonder how they came up with what to name them. Kepler-62e or Kepler-62f are very different compared to Earth or Saturn. If there happens to be life on either of those planets, I wonder if they are humans. That would be really weird. I hope we can get to these planets sometime in my lifetime, but I don't think that's very realistic.

    ReplyDelete