Super Earth has perfect climate for life

Research by American scientists shows that conditions on the planet Kepler-62f, 1,200 light years from Earth, are very favorable for life to develop.

Planet Kepler-62f is 1,200 light years from Earth. Photo: NASA.

In a study published on May 13 in the journal Astrobiology, American scientists concluded that the planet named Kepler-62f meets the conditions for life to develop. This planet is about 40% larger than Earth and is the outermost of five planets orbiting a smaller star with a lower temperature than the Sun. However, Kepler-62f is 1,200 light years away from Earth, according to IFL Science.

When Kepler-62f was discoveredKepler space telescopediscovery, researchers know very little about the planet. The team at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Washington used computer simulations to calculate conditions on the planet's surface.

The sizes of the habitable planets when placed next to Earth, from left to right, are Kepler-69c, Kepler-62e, Kepler-62f and Earth. Photo: NASA.

"We found multiple atmospheric components that would allow the planet to warm enough for liquid water to exist on its surface. This makes Kepler-62f a strong candidate for being a habitable planet," said Aomawa Shields, a postdoctoral fellow in astronomy and astrophysics at UCLA and lead author of the study.

The shape of the planet's orbit is the first factor that needs to be calculated. To do the calculation, the team applied a computer modelHNBodyfamous, combined with two other climate change models to simulate the weather conditions of Kepler-62f as the planet orbits its parent star.

The models assume Kepler-62f's atmosphere is between one and 12 times thicker than Earth's. The team also considered a range of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, from Earth-like levels to 2,500 times higher.

Early Earth had a CO2-rich atmosphere due to long-term volcanic activity. Photo: IM_photo.

Based on our understanding of microbial life and the brightness of its host star, Kepler-62f would only be fully habitable if its atmosphere were three to five times thicker than Earth’s and contained almost entirely carbon dioxide. These conditions would ensure a greenhouse effect and warm the planet enough for microscopic life to emerge.

The model’s most likely parameters suggest that the planet is far enough from its parent star to allow CO2 to build up in the atmosphere over time. Even with CO2 levels similar to Earth’s, Kepler-62f’s temperature would still be above the freezing point for most of the year. If water, CO2, and photosynthetic life exist, these conditions could transform Kepler-62f’s atmosphere into an oxygen-rich one in the future.

According to VNE