NASA discovers another Earth-like planet closer than Kepler-452b

Astronomers at NASA have just discovered an Earth-like planet, closer to Earth than Kepler-452b and is “a gold mine for scientific research”.

According to Independent, thanks to the Spitzer space telescope, scientists have confirmed the existence of a planet named HD-219134b, located about 21 light years from Earth, much closer to Earth than the 1,400 light years from Earth to Kepler-452b.

Planet HD-219134b (Photo Independent)

Although this distance is considered very close, compared to Kepler-452b, humans setting foot on HD-219134b is still considered "impossible" because it would take 387,000 years for the New Horizon spacecraft with the fastest speed currently at 58,000km/h to reach HD-219134b.

In addition, although more Earth-like than Kepler-425b, HD-219134b is located too close to its star, so the surface of this planet is very hot and cannot support life on it.

Planet HD-219134b cannot be seen directly even using a telescope from Earth, however, the planet's star can be easily seen with the naked eye and is located in the constellation Cassiopeia near Polaris.

However, the “close” distance from planet HD-219134b to Earth is expected to greatly assist scientists who want to study this planet using space telescopes.

If Kepler-452b can be considered Earth's "twin," then the newly discovered planet, HD-219134b, is only called a "close cousin." It is a rocky planet, meaning it is a type of planet similar to Earth, made up of a hard, high-density surface, rich in iron and metals.

Initial observations suggest that HD-219134b is about 4.5 times more massive than Earth, about 1.6 times more massive, and takes only 3 days to orbit its star. In addition, the planet is thought to have a rocky surface like Earth, but without ice and gas.

“This planet will be the most thoroughly studied planet in the past decade,” said Spitzer scientist Michael Werner.

This is because: “Planets that are transiting their stars are “more precious than gold” because they can provide a lot of information for research.”

Accordingly, by monitoring this planet as it flies across its star, scientists can monitor changes in light reflecting chemicals that exist on this planet.

In addition, this planet is also considered a perfectly observed object from the James Webb telescope, expected to be launched into space in 2018.

The James Webb Space Telescope is a prominent telescope among the latest generation of space telescopes and is expected to replace the Hubble Space Telescope.

The James Webb Space Telescope will be able to observe planets and objects very far from Earth with unprecedented detail.

According to VOV