Discovery of Earth's "twin"

NASA's Kepler space telescope has discovered the first planet outside our solar system that could be habitable for humans.

The planet Kepler 22b is at the right distance from its star to have water, a temperature and an atmosphere capable of supporting life, NASA announced on December 5.

Kepler 22-b is located about 600 light-years from Earth, is 2.4 times larger than Earth and has a temperature of about 22 degrees Celsius. However, it is not known whether Kepler-22b is mainly composed of rock, gas or liquid.

Distance and orbit of Kepler 22-b relative to the solar system - Photo: NASA

This is the first time NASA's Kepler telescope has confirmed a planet outside the solar system that is not too hot and not too cold to be habitable.

Astronomers have twice previously reported the discovery of planets in that region, but both times they have failed to live up to expectations. One planet has been controversial while the other is on the hot edge of the region.

According to NASA, Kepler has discovered more than 1,000 planets that have the potential to have similar conditions to Earth. Of these, 10 are close in size to Earth, and Kepler 22-b is the smallest planet found in the middle of the habitable zone of a sun-like star.

“This is a major milestone on the road to finding Earth’s twin. Kepler’s results continue to prove important in NASA’s missions, which aim to answer some of the biggest questions about our place in the universe,” Kepler program scientist Douglas Hudgins said at NASA headquarters in Washington, US.

According to Thanh Nien