An earth-size planet Kepler-20f discovered by NSNA’s Kepler space telescope

On Dec. 20, scientists announced that they used NASA’s Kepler space telescope to discover two Earth-size worlds orbiting a star 1,000 light-years away. Kepler-20f is the first earth-sized planet found orbiting a star like our own Sun.



According to NASA’s news release, NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-size planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system. The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are too close to their star to be in the so-called habitable zone where liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface, but they are the smallest exoplanets ever confirmed around a star like our sun.



NASA said that Kepler-20f is the closest object to the Earth in terms of size ever discovered. With an orbital period of 20 days and a surface temperature of 800 degrees Fahrenheit (426C), it is rocky and with a composition of iron, it is too hot to host life, as the scientist said so.



We believe that in the universe there are many earth-like and earth-size planets, only few of them discovered by our scientists with Kepler space telescope. Earlier this month the telescope discovered Kepler-22b, a planet 2.4 times the size of the Earth situated in the middle of its habitable zone.



Although we all are interested in the universe, actually we do not know much the knowledge about the universe, nor do we know much about the Earth. Why are we eager to search for the earth-like and earth-size planet? We have our Mother Earth and have to take good care of her! It is the obligation for being an earthman!

Ps. original version published on the website of Taiwan News by Theresa Huang