NASA Kepler Satellite Discovers 3 Earth Sized Planets In Solar System

NASA's Kepler website that was launched in 2009 as part of the K2 mission has discovered 3 Earth-sized planets in the solar system. The research was led by professor Javier de Cos at University of Oviedo and Rafael Rebolo at IAC and was joined by other researchers from the university along with researchers from University of Geneva and the Gran Telescopio Canarias. The study reveals that there are three new planetary systems orbiting a star named K2-239. The star that the planets are orbiting is located in the constellation of the Sextant. The constellation is 50 parsecs away from the Sun which is around 160 light years away.

The researchers also revealed that it has a compact system of around 3 rocky planets that are same size as Earth. They orbit the star in less time that the Earth orbits around the Sun, which is is 5.2, 7.8 and 10.1 days respectively. But that wasn't all the researchers uncovered. They also found another star (a red dwarf variety) and named it K2-240 along with 2 super Earth like planets that are about two times the size of Earth.

The estimate shows that the temperature is higher by around tens of degrees than that of Earth as they receive strong radiation from the close orbits to the star. Scientists estimate there could be as many as 40 billion Earth-size exoplanets orbiting around the stars in the Solar System.

Neha Maheshwari

https://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/3033889/nasa-kepler-satellite-uncovers-solar-system-with-two-earth-sized-planets