The Kepler space telescope has found 219 new exoplanets , with which since the beginning of its mission, it has already detected 4,034, of which 2,335 have been confirmed by other telescopes. Some are at a distance from their star, being able to house water in a liquid state that allows life . Of the 219 that have just appeared, there are ten whose size is similar to that of the Earth and are located in the habitable zone of their stars. This newly announced new discovery follows several similar announcements that have occurred in recent years, so it appears that potentially habitable Earth-style planets might not be so rare in our Milky Way galaxy .
According to Susan Thompson, from the Kepler scientific team and a member of the SETI institute, dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence: “with these data we will be able to determine the frequency and quantity of these planets and if it is possible to find them in other places in the galaxy where life possible. “
Of the total 4,034 exoplanets confirmed outside our solar system , about 50 are about the size of Earth and are orbiting in a habitable zone. More than 30 of them have been confirmed by other observations. Last February, another team of astronomers announced the discovery with the American Spitzer Space Telescope of seven rocky planets of comparable dimensions to Earth orbiting a single star, Trappist-1 . Three of these planets are located in the habitable zone of their star.
Kepler was launched in 2009, but its mission ended unexpectedly in 2013 due to a failure in the gyroscopes. This telescope has investigated around 150,000 stars in the constellation Cygnus and its work has been very helpful. Kepler detects planets as they pass in front of their stars , causing a temporary reduction in the light they emit. This allows its size, mass and orbit to be deduced. Kepler’s final catalog will serve as the basis for further research to determine the frequency of different categories of planets in the galaxy.
Starting in 2018, NASA will begin working with Kepler’s follower, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which over two years will study some 200,000 of the brightest stars in our cosmic neighborhood in search of planets of similar size to the one. Land.
