Breaking News: 470 light-years away, astronomers found a duplicate of Earth

 

 

This is Kepler-438 b. A 470-light-year-away Earth twin. A planet orbits Kepler-438 in Lyra. It has 0.54 solar mass and 0.52 solar radius.

Kepler-438 b is only 12% larger than Earth and has a similarity index of 0.9 (maximum – 1), making it the most similar known exoplanet.

The exoplanet is in the star’s habitable zone, meaning liquid water can exist on its surface. 35-day orbits. Some may claim that being so close to a star is dangerous, yet red dwarfs are cooler and dimmer than the Sun.

 

Earth vs. Kepler-438b Scientists formerly thought this planet could have Earth-like water, rain, clouds, and air. Reality was sadder. Kepler-438 b resembles Earth, however you must consider the neighboring star’s activity.

The red dwarf Kepler-438 flashes, according to 2015 research. These flashes occur every several hundred days and are ten times stronger than solar indices (100 billion megatons of TNT). This means the planet is constantly bombarded with radiation, destroying the atmosphere and any chance of life.

 

When seeking for life, you must evaluate both the planet’s qualities and the star’s behavior. If Kepler-438 b can maintain a high magnetic field, it will be able to sustain its atmosphere and primitive life in water, say researchers.

In this scenario, the temperature reached 60 °C, although life can exist in such extreme conditions on Earth. “Second Earth’s” habitability is uncertain.