This artist's concept depicts one possible appearance of the planet Kepler-452b, the first near-Earth-size world to be found in the habitable zone of
Image details
Contributor:
Geopix / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
2DAT488File size:
33.1 MB (369.7 KB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
4534 x 2550 px | 38.4 x 21.6 cm | 15.1 x 8.5 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
23 July 2015Location:
Kepler 452More information:
This artist's concept depicts one possible appearance of the planet Kepler-452b, the first near-Earth-size world to be found in the habitable zone of star that is similar to our sun. The habitable zone is a region around a star where temperatures are right for water -- an essential ingredient for life as we know it -- to pool on the surface. Scientists do not know if Kepler-452b can support life or not. What is known about the planet is that it is about 60 percent larger than Earth, placing it in a class of planets dubbed "super-Earths." While its mass and composition are not yet determined, previous research suggests that planets the size of Kepler-452b have a better than even chance of being rocky. Kepler-452b orbits its star every 385 days. The planet's star is about 1, 400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. It is a G2-type star like our sun, with nearly the same temperature and mass. This star is 6 billion years old, 1.5 billion years older than our sun. As stars age, they grow in size and give out more energy, warming up their planets over time - Photo: Geopix/NASA/JPL