NASA discover Earth's twin 1,400 light-years away

in space on 2015-09-28 08:45 (#NS4P)

The Kepler mission has found the first near-Earth-size planet - called Kepler-452b - in the "habitable zone" around a G2 star much like our own sun. Kepler-452b is 60 percent larger in diameter than Earth and is considered a super-Earth-size planet. Its 385-day orbit is only 5 percent longer as the planet is 5 percent farther from its parent star. That star, Kepler-452, is 6 billion years old, 1.5 billion years older than our sun, has the same temperature, and is 20 percent brighter and has a diameter 10 percent larger. The Kepler-452 system is located 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.

"We can think of Kepler-452b as an older, bigger cousin to Earth, providing an opportunity to understand and reflect upon Earth's evolving environment," said Jenkins. "It's awe-inspiring to consider that this planet has spent 6 billion years in the habitable zone of its star; longer than Earth. That's substantial opportunity for life to arise, should all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life exist on this planet."

If I get 1 Euro for each time they announce an Earth's twin.... (Score: 1)

by tanuki64@pipedot.org on 2015-09-28 19:00 (#NTY2)

...I'd be rich. Usually it is somemisinterpretation by a clueless journalist.

Re: If I get 1 Euro for each time they announce an Earth's twin.... (Score: 2, Informative)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2015-09-28 19:47 (#NV2V)

From WP: "It is the first potentially rocky super-Earth planet discovered orbiting within the habitable zone of a star very similar to the Sun."

Re: If I get 1 Euro for each time they announce an Earth's twin.... (Score: 1)

by tanuki64@pipedot.org on 2015-09-30 15:23 (#P1P0)

http://io9.com/could-life-have-emerged-on-earths-near-twin-1719964421

Yes, super-Earth.... or mini-Neptune. Above link gives a few more details.

Re: If I get 1 Euro for each time they announce an Earth's twin.... (Score: 1)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2015-10-01 13:17 (#P4Y4)

Not a great read... Over and over they speculate about this theory or that, then walk it back with "but that's assuming" xyz...

See them keep repeat that pattern reminded me of something:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXOebOaBFV4

Re: If I get 1 Euro for each time they announce an Earth's twin.... (Score: 1)

by tanuki64@pipedot.org on 2015-10-07 17:20 (#PRWQ)

I am not sure this is a fair comparison. Not a great read? Perhaps. Not everybody is a good writer. But you make it sound as if it has no arguments at all. Actually most of the 'repetitions' in this article are quotations of several scientists of different fields. And practically all agree, that 'twin Earth' is not very likely. Maybe mini-Neptune, or huge-Venus. This does not necessarily rule out life, but probably even the Mars is more 'twin Earth' than this planet.

Re: If I get 1 Euro for each time they announce an Earth's twin.... (Score: 1)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2015-10-08 07:41 (#PTHF)

But you make it sound as if it has no arguments at all.

It has lots of speculation, based on no available information, and several paradoxically-contradictory theories. That is no argument. Hence my youtube link.

"Astronomers aren't completely sure it's a terrestrial planet" is the worst that can be said. Stretching that to claim it's a "mini-Neptune" is baseless, and also misleading. It's only a slim "possibility that it is actually a small gas planet".

And practically all agree, that 'twin Earth' is not very likely.

"It is the first potentially rocky super-Earth planet discovered orbiting within the habitable zone of a star very similar to the Sun." Nasa's science chief John Grunsfeld called the new world "Earth 2.0" and the "closest so far" to our home. And even the io9 article you cited, calls it "Earth's Near Twin" right in the title...

Here's a list of just a few of the more straight-forward self-contradictions found in the article:

"Models of what might happen on this planet indicates that it could be on the verge of experiencing a runaway greenhouse gas effect like that on Venus." ... Jenkins did add, however, that there's no guarantee Kepler 542b has experienced, or will ever experience, a runaway greenhouse gas process.

a possible "water world", but that's assuming it even has water

a smaller mass core, between 0.5 and 1.5 times the mass of the Earth ... holds on to far less of the lighter gases, making it much more likely to develop an atmosphere suitable for life.* / exoplanets with masses two- to three-times that of Earth could give rise to "superhabitability" - a perfect storm of life-friendly factors that could make an exoplanet even more habitable than our own.

assuming that it is, in fact, habitable, it is possible that life has had significantly more time to evolve there

We're not even sure if it's rocky, let alone certain what its atmospheric and chemical composition is like.

* Not on-page, a linked-to io9 explanation of the theory.

Re: If I get 1 Euro for each time they announce an Earth's twin.... (Score: 1)

by tanuki64@pipedot.org on 2015-10-08 15:33 (#PW8B)

Interesting. We read the same texts and come to totally different conclusions.

Yes, might happen, could be, no guarantee... For me it means: We simply don't have enough data. Even your article states:

previous research suggests that planets the size of Kepler-452b have a good chanceof being rocky

and:

That's substantial opportunity for life to arise, should all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life exist on this planet."

Doesn't this also sounds like could be, no guarantee? IMHO yes. Under this circumstances calling it Earth's twin is the real life equivalent of click bait.