NASA's Kepler Mission Announces Latest Planetary Discovery

The Kepler mission's science team announced its latest finding at a press conference on Monday, Dec. 5, 2011. The team announced the confirmation of Kepler-22b, its first planet found in the "habitable zone," the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. The planet is about 2.4 times the radius of Earth, orbits around a star similar to our sun and is located 600 light-years away. Scientists don't yet know if Kepler-22b has a predominantly rocky, gaseous or liquid composition, but its discovery is a step closer to finding Earth-like planets. The planet's host star belongs to the same class as our sun, called G-type, although it is slightly smaller and cooler.

Kepler also has discovered 1,094 new planet candidates, nearly doubling its previously known count. Since the last catalog was released in February, the number of planet candidates identified by Kepler has increased by 89 percent and now totals 2,326. Of these, 207 are approximately Earth-size, 680 are super Earth-size, 1,181 are Neptune-size, 203 are Jupiter-size and 55 are larger than Jupiter. The findings, based on observations conducted May 2009 to September 2010, show a dramatic increase in the numbers of smaller-size planet candidates.

For more information about the Kepler mission, please visit www.nasa.gov/kepler

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[MattyBassK]

I'd be happy to pay more taxes if it went to nasa....

[SierraM363]

Awesome. Time for Obama to call dibs on it.

[TheAlienFanatic]

Change Council Tax to Space Discovery Tax lol I'd be more than willing to pay without delay lol

[neonleo1]

i WORSHIP oBAMA

[centaurusa99764]

RRRUUUU,you ot to be kidding,the Kepler mission team is running out of funding and asking for more support. Full support them now!!

[TheHugelDude]

I wonder if there are life forms on that planet...do you think they know about us or.. are trying to reach us?

[CliffJumpingProd]

btw where does the term "never the less" come from? i mean it doesn't really make any sense o.O besides, you can't put "the" in front of "less" it's not a noun..

[Crypto Dekk]

I hope that planet has no religion...

[sixfeetonlop]

i just hope this planet is full of a bunch of cuddly guys.

[Mina Vega]

I wonder if Kepler have a moon??? Because our moon make our oceans state in place!

[Hervan Henry]

We are on the threshold of eternity. Call Mr. Obama to take heed, as his greatness resides with his humility. It is stupendous and funds should be allocated to probe even deeper to confirm that htere is a God who all leaders on this earth must learn to worship in spiirt and truth.