KEP

Issue 10 - March 2011 - Science. Life.The planet.

The truth is out there Exoplanets and Extraterrestrials issue.

K

epler-22b is an exoplanet that has been causing quite a stir since it is one of the few planets outside our solar system that has potential for intelligent life due to its situation within its solar system.

This is because the planet’s orbit is situated in what is known as a Goldilocks Zone, an area around a sun that is neither too hot or too cold.

Kepler-22b is part of the Kepler-22 system, which is host to a variety of superearths that are either similar to earth in size or larger, with qualities that are estimated to our own liveable, breathable world.

KEPLER-22B Goldilock’s Zone

MERCURY Hot Zone

MARS Cold Zone

EARTH Goldilock’s Zone

Mercury is the planet in our solar system that is nearest to the sun, in what is known as a Hot Zone.

Life is impossible, the extreme heat would terminate any organism that tried to live on the planet’ hostile environment.

It has a solid iron core, with about 1% of the magnetic field of Earth.

Due to the nature of the planet’s geology and atmosphere, any impactors are not slowed down at all, thus appearing like the moon: heavily cratered and scarred.

Mars is approximately half the size of Earth and its atmosphere is predominantley carbon dioxide.

Extensive research on Mars has revealed that there is in fact ice at the polar regions of the planet.

The climate is far too cold to live, with temperatures ranging from -87 celsius to -5 celsius in the height of summer.

There was liquid on the surface of the planet millions of years ago, but only microscopic evidence suggests this.

The Earth is also within the Goldilocks zone which is detrimental to our existence.

Without this perfect distance relative to the sun, we would not have sufficient oxygen, nor would we have just the right amount of the sun’s radiation in order for flora to photosynthesise.

However, not only are we in the right zone for life to exist, but Earth has been impacted by enough space debris to put us on a tilt, allowing for seasons and weather.

Kepler-22b is in the area known as the Goldilocks Zone, an area of orbit that is just close enough to receive an equal amount of heat and cold temparature needed to support life.

There has been a conflicting idea that if the planet’s carbon cycle has ceased due to lack of oceans and plate tectonics, Kepler-22b my just turn out to be a searing, sterile, super-Venus planet.

However, the reason for Kepler-22b’s importance is due to the location of the planet in relation to the planet’s sun, which is a G-type star, similar to our own. (The G-type star is a main sequence star that still converts large amounts of hydrogen to helium to give our planet the energy it needs to exist) The planet in question is around 600 light years away from our own planet, reinforcing the fact that exoploration of the planet in our current state next to impossible. The radius is estimated at 2.4 times that of Earth, and the surface is thought to be an “oceanlike world” with its surface gravity being just over double that of Earth’s. Despite these claims, the planet’s general composition and density has come under great scrutiny. Since Kepler-22b is substantially larger than the earth, it is likely to have a different composition, depending on it’s actual mass.