New planet discovered named Super Earth - habitable for life

Whispers that the Milky Way is filled with planets have turned into a roar. Earlier this week, astronomers announced the discovery of 600 more exoplanet candidates, including one "super-Earth" which may be habitable.

The news strengthens many astronomers' suspicions that habitable planets are common and that more exciting discoveries are likely as better telescopes become available.

Called a super-Earth because it is only 3.6 times more massive than Earth and possibly rocky rather than gaseous, it resides in a 58-day orbit on the inner edge of its orange star's habitable zone. If protected by a thick, cloudy atmosphere, it could have liquid water on its surface. Called HD 85512b, the exoplanet is only the second small world to be found inside a habitable zone and lies just 36 light years away in the constellation of Vela. That is close enough for future telescopes to scour it for signs of life.

Planet-hunters announced their latest finds this week at the Extreme Solar Systems II conference in Moran, Wyoming. A ground-based telescope in Chile discovered 55 of these planets, including HD 85512b, using an instrument called the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planets Searcher (HARPS). NASA's Kepler space telescope spotted the others, mostly much further away.

While the HARPS team monitors nearby stars for telltale wobbles caused by orbiting planets, Kepler scientists search a wide field of faraway stars, watching for planets that become silhouetted against their suns. The technique yields many candidates but confirmation is difficult over such great distances.

Still, the Kepler team reckons the vast majority of its finds are genuine, and of the newest batch roughly a quarter appear to be super-Earths. All this suggests that an Earth analogue will turn up sooner rather than later.

Super Earth Discovered By Scientists! (But Its 36 Light Years Away From Us)

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[Jambiwana]

SOOPUR UURTH... wut

[vampsforpresident]

if only we stopped fighting ourselves and actually combine our knowledge and get sum fo***ing STAR WARS TECHNOLOGY

[Dragonseye96]

The planet makes the star wobble?? Where did they find this idiot and why are they using him to comment on scientific subjects. They KNOW there is a planet there because of the change in light intensity as the planet passes between the star and us. Do us all a favour buddy, stick to the weather forecast. Nobody expects you to be right about that.

[rich1051414]

@Melbourne619 uh... EVERYONE has an accent to someone. No one choses where they are born, therefore, insulting an accent is racist. (I know, not technically racist, but it carries the same ignorant connotations)

[alien2girl07]

@CptNickk Totally agree with you there. Unfortunately, we have yet to reach that point in our evolution...that's if we don't become extinct first from our own wrath and ignorance.

[23BEATNGU]

BOB? yeah ive seen Titan A.E. too buddy...

[Melbourne619]

@Jambiwana And Americans try to convince us that they "don't have accents" fucking yankies

[Shurtugal001]

he totally said HAARP

[FrankxthexTank007]

looks like he made a mistake of saying something about haarp and kinda changed it up. you can see it in his face 1:29

[5NOBLESIX]

@evaspartan100 REEEEEEEEEEACH

[SadCarnage1224]

@Jambiwana koo huuu?

[glenn11302]

23 people were raised by cats