Earth? 2.0?

By Cat Kemp and Anjali Nayak

Are we alone? Is there anyone out there? Hopefully! Maybe. 🤔 An exoplanet—or extrasolar planet—is a planet similar to Earth in that it orbits a star like the sun. These planets allow us valuable information about the formation and evolution of planets, and also provide a possible habitable environment. Thus, creating speculation about aliens or a future home. Learn about some of these interesting exoplanets! 

Given its name due to its discovery via a “Kepler” brand telescope, the Kepler solar system contains 6 planets, and is about 2,000 light years away from Earth. In February 2011, NASA announced that all of Kepler’s planets were larger than Earth, with the largest ones comparable in size to Uranus and Neptune. Moreover, the majority of the planets are potentially habitable for humans. In fact, the Kepler solar system is known as a habitable zone, and scientists are certain of the high possibility of foreign life on a Kepler planet. 

Kepler-186f’s planet system makes up the constellation Cygnus, one of the most prominent constellations of the northern summer and autumn. A mere 500 light years away, Kepler-186f is known within the scientific community as “Earth’s Cousin.” Despite its location and Earth-like dimensions, the major issue facing Kepler-186f is its host star’s tendency for solar flares; something that could potentially strip away the planet’s atmosphere over time.  

Living on Kepler-186f would immerse humans in a 130 day year, and the Kepler-sun would provide a mere 1 ⁄ 3 the energy of our current sun. However, the planet shows similarities to Earth in that it is likely a rocky planet (like Earth) and its diameter is only 10% bigger than Earth. Although not enough about the atmosphere is known to be sure the planet has surface water, its location within the solar system—in the “Goldilocks zone” or habitable area—makes it a real possibility. 

Though Kepler-69c maintains more similarity with Venus, the planet is 1.7 times the size of Earth, suggesting its likelihood as a rocky planet, and is also in the habitable zone promoting possible surface water. Much more research and technology would be needed to determine the habitability of Kepler-69c; however, the anticipation for finding a habitable planet continues to expand with the ever-increasing information and accessibility to new worlds.