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The South
Asian Life & Times - SALT |
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Cover Story
Tech Stories 2011 Adventure &
Sports
Environment
Vishnu - Hinduism's
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Space Exploration Kepler 22-b -
An Earth-like planet found
On December 5, 2011, astronomers confirmed the
existence of an Earth-like planet in the "habitable zone" around a star not
unlike our own. The planet, as yet known as ‘Kepler 22-b’, lies in a
far-flung world about 600 light-years away. It is about 2.4 times the size
of Earth, and has a temperature of about 22C. However, we do not know, as
yet, if Kepler 22-b is made mostly of rock, gas or liquid. While the planet
is larger than Earth, its orbit of 290 days around a sun-like star resembles
that of our world. The planet's host star belongs to the same class as our
sun, called G-type, although it is slightly smaller and cooler. Of the 54 habitable zone (the region where liquid
water could exist on a planet’s surface) planet candidates reported in
February 2011, Kepler-22b is the first to be confirmed.
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