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Space Telescope Spots Earth-Sized Worlds

Kepler discoveries are smallest exoplanets yet found

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 20, 2011 3:25 PM CST

(Newser) – For the first time, scientists have discovered planets roughly the size of ours outside our solar system. Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f are the smallest exoplanets yet found, Discovery reports. Because they're so close to the star they orbit, they don't appear habitable, but the finding is "next major milestone to finding habitable planets beyond our solar system," says a NASA scientist.

A year on Kepler-20e—that is, a full orbit of its star—takes about six days, while Kepler-20f completes its orbit in about 20 days, NASA reports. The planets were discovered using the Kepler space telescope, fulfilling the Kepler mission's "primary goal," says the head of the team that made the find. "This discovery demonstrates for the first time that Earth-size planets exist around other stars, and that we are able to detect them."

This illustration provided by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics shows artist's renderings of planets Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f compared with Venus and the Earth.
This illustration provided by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics shows artist's renderings of planets Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f compared with Venus and the Earth.   (AP Photo/Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 14 comments
HappyHabenero
Dec 21, 2011 3:14 AM CST
The full story puts those planets too close to the sun...about 800f or so degrees too close.  Hot enough to melt glass.....or bake a turkey real fast 
Swen.Ardere
Dec 20, 2011 10:34 PM CST
Still waiting for them to find planet Kolob.
getherdone
Dec 20, 2011 9:11 PM CST
And some people say there is no God?  Who made it then?

 
planet • Earth • exoplanet • extrasolar planets • Kepler telescope

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