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Two new worlds, Kepler-1652b and HD 283869b, were added to the catalog of exoplanets scientists think might be able to support alien life, Cnet reports.
Kepler-1652b is the third most similar planet to Earth among all those found beyond our solar system so far. It is only 12 percent bigger than Earth and likely rocky.
“The planet around Kepler-1652 seems like a good candidate for habitability,” professor Abel Mendez, director of the Habitable Exoplanets Catalog at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, said via email. “It could have temperate conditions with a similar terrestrial atmosphere.”
The Earth Similarity Index is based on the comparison of the exoplanet’s mass, radius and amount of energy received from the star to that of Earth.
“Unfortunately, the planet ( Kepler-1652b) is 822 light-years away and too far to learn more about it in the near future,” Mendez stated.
HD 283869b is less similar to Earth, but can be potentially habitable. It is 155 light years away from Earth.
“The planet around HD 283869 seems like a marginal world for habitability. It is almost twice as big as Earth and more likely a hot ocean world with an orbit very close to the inner edge of the habitable zone. However, it still could have temperate conditions with a similar terrestrial atmosphere,” Mendez said.
These two new additions bring the total tally in the catalog to 55 known potentially habitable exoplanets. While the technology to visit these worlds is still likely many generations or centuries away, our next generation of telescopes, including the oft-delayed James Webb Space Telescope, could help us at least get a better look.
