It’s Official: Astronomers Have Discovered Another Earth


NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope discovered an Earth-like planet circling a nearby star within the Goldilocks zone of our galaxy. 


Kepler-186f is around 500 light-years from Earth in the Cygnus constellation. The habitable zone, also identified as the Goldilocks zone, is the area around a star within which planetary-mass objects with enough atmospheric pressure can sustain liquid water at their surfaces.

While it has been projected that there are at least 40 billion Earth-sized planets circling in our Milky Way Galaxy, this specific finding is labelled the first Earth-sized planet to be discovered in the habitable zone of another star.

What does this mean?

In addition to Kepler-186f, there are 4 other planets that circle a nearby star within the Kepler-186f system. What this means is that if the neighbouring star to this planet is just like our Sun, then the likelihood of life on this planet exponentially increases. 

“We know of only one planet where life survives – Earth. When we hunt for life outside our solar system, we emphasis on discovering planets with features that mimic that of Earth,” said Elisa Quintana, research scientist at the SETI Institute at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., and lead author of the paper published in the journal Science. “Discovering a habitable zone planet similar to Earth in size is a major breakthrough.” 

The neighboring star to Kepler-186f has half the mass and size as our solar system’s Sun and only gets one-third of the energy that we get from our Sun. Kepler-186f circles its star once every 130 days.

Reference(s): NASA, Space.com



38 Comments

  1. As it is impossible to travel faster than the speed of light according to the laws of physics, we will never be able to drop by anytime soon which is a shame!

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    1. What you say is true theoretically according to the laws of known physics, but we dont have the technology to prove it one way or the other. We are barely scratching the surface of physics.

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    2. Not to say we don't find other ways of bending time and space in the future, with current tech and knowledge but 120 years ago we could not even fly a plane, imagine 500 years from now if we survive.

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    3. Of course, once we legitimately sort out nuclear fusion as an energy option (we're starting to get very close); then manage to generate an Alcubierre Drive... under those conditions it would be reasonable to reach Kepler 186-f. Humanity just has to not destroy itself in the meantime, and survive another 200+ years.

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    4. Flying a plane and going faster than light speed aren't even in the same ballpark. Being able to fly was not only theoretically possible but demonstratively possible, as we had numerous life forms which routinely fly. It was simply a case of understanding the engineering behind animals that fly and applying that to machines.

      There is nothing in the universe that demonstratively exceeds the speed of light. According to traditional physics, it's not even possible.

      Even in 500 years, we will still be bound by the theory of relatively unless a breakthrough in physics is made that countermands everything else we understand about the universe.

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  2. Don't let republicans near it, they'll want to destroy that planet too.

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    1. 😅🤣😂

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    2. And Democrats are to busy destroying Uranus

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    3. You think a lot of Republicans and their abilities; that they are able to go there and terraform it for Democrat's habitation and comfort.

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    4. lol don't start with the BS politics, this has nothing to do with that politic sh#t

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    5. Laughed my butt off. :D

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    6. Now do dem run cities.. Explain that mess to everyone.

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  3. Let send probe and release microorganisms over there for the start of life. :)

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    1. I think it probably already has life because it has water and theoretically I thin any planet with the same liquid water should be able to inhabit life unless there is somthing stopping this

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  4. Don’t let democrats near it, they will turn it communist.

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    1. Spoken like an uneducated idiot. Anyone who thinks that there's even a single member of the Democratic party that's even remotely Communist is just a moron with zero ability to look back at the past twenty years of history. The Democrats of today are the Republicans of 20 years ago. They're not even leftists - quite far from it, honestly. And if you had even a single iota if intellect regarding actual politics, rather than the skewed American media version, you'd see how dumb that statement was.

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    2. Not even remotely communist? seriously? and your reasoning is just name calling?? democrats today are republicans of 20 years ago? Im a centrist here but ur words are why people are shifting en masse to the right.

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  5. Anyway folks, back on topic...one thing to remember about K186f is that although we most likely will not be capable of traveling there for, perhaps a 1000 years or more, there is ONE major "improbability" open to us.
    Besides the JWT looking for biosignatures, there's one dazzling chance that 500 years (or longer) ago, intelligent life MIGHT have had the ability to create and transmit RADIO WAVES. Barring too much attenuation (fat chance, right?) we might be capable of picking up their electromagnetic transmissions.
    Probably would have ZERO idea what they're saying but what a stunning game changer if we could separate the noise from an intelligent signal.
    Mathematics could help.

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  6. Why does everything have to be political. I get sick of it. So sick of blaming one side or the other when both have their faults. Instead of waisting time and energy on hate and finger pointing use that energy for good and work together not against each other all the time and you might accomplish something. Also this is not about politics. It is about the discovery of a Earth like planet!

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    1. Yeah but that Uranus joke was hilarious (and I say that as someone who would vote Democrat if I lived in America).

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    2. I you ever do live here... please don't be a democrat. Unless you like fiddling around with Uranus.

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  7. Fuck it, I’m packing my shit and moving to Kepler-186f, I had enough of this planet!

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  8. Whomever it was that said the Democrats today are the Republicans of 20 years ago is quite frankly ignorant and believes in the big lie. 20 years ago Gore was trying to steal the election from Bush. 40 years ago Reagan was president and a conservative who crushed inflation caused started by the bigot Johnson and his Great Society. And starting with the founder of the party Lincoln ended slavery. You’re entitled to your opinion but not your own facts.

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    1. Riiiiiiight . Now give your computer back to your mommy.

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  9. HUMANS BRAINS ARE THE FUNNIEST.. ALL LIFE IS ALREADY WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE. HENCE THE SIZE OF THE UNIVERSE. THAT'S SPACE INTELLIGENCE. HYBRIDS = TECHNOLOGY >>>>>>>>> SPERM. WHAT IF NATURE'S ALREADY DONE EVERYTHING FOR LIFE.. MAYBE LIFE DOESN'T NEED TO MOVE Physically from planet-to-planet. Maybe there's another way to spread our seed. Using brains here on earth. MAYBE WE DON'T NEED TO, MAYBE OUR ROLE IS TO WATCH OVER ALL OF LIFE ON EARTH. TO PROTECT THE WHOLE ECO-SYSTEMS. MAYBE WE LOST CONNECTION TO THE SPIRITUAL CONNECTION TO ALL LIFE'S ALL OVER THE UNIVERSE.

    IT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE GOING FROM PLANET TO PLANET USING UP ALL IT'S RESOURCES AND KILLING ALL IT'S LIFE IN THE PROCESS.

    ALL LIFE'S, NO MATTER WHERE GIVES IT'S OWN PURPOSE TO ITS ENVIRONMENT. ALL LIFE IS A TEST OF INTELLIGENCE.

    IF HUMANS DESTROY THIS = 🌏
    LIFE IS ALL OVER THE UNIVERSE. LIFE DESTROYS IT'S SELF.. IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO MOVE THROUGH SPACE.

    ALL LIFE IS BORN OUT OF SLEEP.

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    1. Chill down, eat a cookie.

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  10. Get back to nature to try understand consciousness = 🍄

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  11. WHY DOES NATURE SPEAK TO ALL LIFE = 🧠... THERE CANNY BE SPACE FOR DEATH. SPACE CAN ONLY BE FOR INTELLIGENCE. = 🌍 MAYBE NATURE IS TESTING LIFE. MAYBE WE'RE ALL LIVING IN OUR OWN BUBBLES = 🧠.. IT'S A MYSTERY, MAYBE BRAINS WILL ALWAYS BE WONDERING WHY WE'RE BORN OUT OF SLEEP.

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  12. HYBRIDS = 🌍 MAYBE WE WE'RE CREATED BY SOME OTHER INTELLIGENCE SO WE COULD LIVE ON EARTH. = ❤️⚰️☀️🍄💤🌍💤🍄☀️⚰️❤️

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  13. EITHER WAY THERE WILL ALWAYS BE LIFE SOMEWHERE. MAYBE THAT'S WHY THE UNIVERSE IS EXPANDING. ALL LIFE COULD JUST BE A CELEBRATION = 🌍 NO ONE CAN KNOW FOR SURE. MAYBE THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT IN BEING BORN FROM INTELLIGENCE = 🔥💤💤💤🔥

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  14. HUMANS COULD JUST BE HERE TO PROTECT THE PLANET.. MAYBE NOT. BRAINS ARE FUNNY. BRAINS ARE DESTROYING THIS = 🌍.. FOR PROFITS. IT MAKES NO SENSE. I THINK HUMANS MADE EXISTENCE ALL ABOUT THEMSELVES. MAYBE WE'RE HERE TO UNDERSTAND WHO WE ARE? WHY WE ARE HERE? THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMETHING RATHER THAN NOTHING. WE WOULDN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. ALL BRAINS ARE TESTED BY THE ENVIRONMENT IT DEPENDS UPON.

    WE COULD CREATE HYBRIDS TO TRAVEL THE STARS. MAYBE WERE ALL TALKING DICTIONARY'S AND WE SHOULD TRY learning from the rest of creation.

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  15. MAYBE IF ENOUGH BRAINS+ TOGETHER WENT BACK TO THE START THEY WOULD BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO EXIST. 🤣 🤣 🤣

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  16. The comments on this post show why intelligent alien life has avoided contact with humanity.

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  17. Again a good example of Americans thinking they are the centre of the universe, or in this case our galaxy. Nobody cares about your dumb corrupt politics.

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  18. This is the most wonderful news I've heard in a long time!HAVE You ALL MISSED THIS THERE IS A PLANT LIKE EARTH OUT IN THE COSMOS! LET'S

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  19. In my opinion its abnormal to spend every year billions of USD on Universe exploration. When on the other hand you have out there the most powerful states trying to gain as much profits as possible by destroying earth and its resources. It somehow don't make sense. So... folks planets are out there to be inhabited for eternity one day by sons of God. Jesus is the king :)

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