Thursday, July 23, 2015

To Aunt Jeannie---NASA unveils newly-discovered 'Earth 2.0'

The sweep of NASA Kepler mission’s search for small, habitable planets in the last six years. The first planet smaller than Earth, Kepler-20e, was discovered in December 2011 orbiting a Sun-like star slightly cooler and smaller than our sun every six days. But it is scorching hot and unable to maintain an atmosphere or a liquid water ocean. Kepler-22b was announced in the same month, as the first planet in the habitable zone of a sun-like star, but is more than twice the size of Earth and therefore unlikely to have a solid surface. Kepler-186f was discovered in April 2014 and is the first Earth-size planet found in the habitable zone of a small, cool M dwarf about half the size and mass of our sun. Kepler-452b is the first near-Earth-Size planet in the habitable zone of a star very similar to the sun. (Photo via NASA Ames/W. Stenzel)
July 23rd 2015 2:13 PM

NASA scientists reached an exciting milestone in the decades-long hunt for planets and possible life outside our solar system Wednesday with the announcement of the discovery of the most Earth-like planet yet.

Quickly dubbed "Earth 2.0" -- the planet, Kepler-452, is a near-Earth-size planet orbiting in what's commonly known as the habitable zone of a star much like our sun. The zone is considered important in the search for life because the temperatures allow for liquid water, which many scientists believe is crucial to fostering life as we know it. 
Close cousins? Comparison between Earth and Kepler-452b and their host stars

Scientists using data from NASA's Kepler mission have confirmed the first near-Earth-size planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a sun-like star. The habitable zone is the region around a star where temperatures are just right for water to exist in its liquid form.

The artistic concept compares Earth (left) to the new planet, called Kepler-452b, which is about 60 percent larger. 
"On the 20th anniversary year of the discovery that proved other suns host planets, the Kepler exoplanet explorer has discovered a planet and star which most closely resemble the Earth and our Sun," John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said of the discovery. "This exciting result brings us one step closer to finding an Earth 2.0."
As NASA noted in its announcement, the planets have striking similarities.

Both planets orbit a G2-type star of about the same temperature; however, the star hosting Kepler-452b is 6 billion years old, 1.5 billion years older than our sun. As stars age, they become larger, hotter and brighter, as represented in the illustration. Kepler-452b's star appears a bit larger and brighter
Although the planet is far too faint to be seen with the naked eye, stargazers looking to peer in its direction would want to glance toward the constellation Cygnus. The Kepler-452 system where the planet orbits its sun-like star is located 1,400 light-years away.

Scientists named Kepler-452b after the tool they used to find it. The Kepler Space Telescope has been used by the Kepler mission to identify thousands of planets far beyond our solar system.
As detection methods have improved, the number of planets Kepler scientists have been able to find proof of has skyrocketed. Those findings jumped wildly in 2014, when the discoveries quadrupled the prior year, jumping from around 200 in 2013 to more than 800.

Jonny , Chris and the Cubs

10 comments:

  1. Aunt Jeannie , we are having lots of fun , it is a game at the hotel and casino here , we will go shopping before we leave everyone made a list .
    aunt Jeannie hope you are feeling better and getting outside more .Daddy and poppa is cooking and posting for mama , We love to eat the food ,
    Everyone is having a good time . Sending you lot of wishes to get well soon and love .

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  2. Aunt Jeannie , hope you like this post , Sci-Port is closed for the students during the summer , Our sisters found this , it is interesting , we want to share with you . We are having a good time and meeting lot of new friends . I hope you are feeling better and enjoying the weather and your garden . I am sending you the same as Jonny . Love and good wishes for better health . Our sisters and brothers will say hello when they come inside .

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  3. Hi jonny,
    Wow what an awesome article! How exciting that NASA has located a planet so much like earth. We always knew they were out there. I heard one of the scientists say this evening that they want a planet that could grow and support our plants and crops if we planted them there. The most important thing being that we could grow our own food.
    All we need is water, air, sunshine and solid ground.
    This new planet is more than twice the size of earth so we could sure spread out. I think NASA will have a lot more surprises to come for us. Thank you so much for sharing with me. And I hope the rest of your vacation is all fun and good times.
    Thank you for your kind wishes
    Lots of love

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    1. Hi Chris,
      Aunt Nee told me Sci-Port was closed for the summer but I figured you guys would still be interested in any new developments in astronomy. I was blown away by your post. This is the closest they have come to an exoplanet like earth. It is a pretty big sucker of a planet and I wish we could get a closer look at it. They may be able to tell us a bit more about the gases around it. Thank you for sharing and please thank your sisters also. It was sweet of them to tell you about it.
      Thanks also for your get well wishes. I am doing okay. The trouble with being a genie is that you can't wish things for yourself.
      May the rest of you vacation be fantastic and more fun than you can stand.
      Lots of love

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  4. Aunt Jeannie , aunt Nee said , girls come and say hello to aunt Jeannie , she has post about a shooting and killing .
    We are having a great time , I hope you are feeling better and will be up soon and feeling like yourself again . We will shop for some school outfits here for school . Daddy and uncle Gil told mama and Nee they was not going to take the girls just the boys because we try to get them in trouble .
    We always get things for Chris and Jonny , they show and explain things to us .
    Bubba said to tell hello and he is sending you some hair ribbons to make you look pretty . I will write more next time . Get well soon ,lots of love coming your way .

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    1. Hello my sweet girl,
      It is so nice to hear from you. I am happy to hear you are enjoying yourself so much. There is a lot to do in Reno isn't there? I wonder if you ride the horses.
      You will have more fun shopping with Aunt Nee and Mama anyway. They know exactly what girls like and men don't have a clue. Men are kind of scared of shopping for ladies' clothes. It's nice you buy things for Jonny and Chris ...they are good guys and they look out for you girls. Bubba is a great kid. I bet he has grown pretty tall by now. Please thank him for my ribbons and give him a hug for me. I am feeling okay and enjoying the sunshine and watching all the birds and animals from my hammock in the garden. I am reading lots of books this summer.
      Thank you for your get well wishes. I look forward to hearing from you again.
      Lots of love
      Aunt Jeannie.

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  5. Aunt Jeannie , are you feeling better ,I hope so and you can enjoy your summer , mama love sitting in the garden when the wind is blowing and cool . Aunt Jeannie , I think we will be here until school starts , hope so , I like here during the summer . Daddy went to Canada to a group meeting , he told mama on his way to his friend house , his friend pointed the house out to him . He stay overnight with his friend and they both went to another town where the meeting was and got a hotel rooms .
    Hurry and get well soon , lots of wishes for you to get well so we can talk more .

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    1. Hello my Pretty Girl,
      It's just great hearing from you again. I am enjoying the summer among my flowers and I too like the evening breezes. I have to take it pretty easy this summer so I am reading lots and drawing in my sketch book. I hope you get to stay in Reno until school. Just don't lay out in the sun too long beside the pool in your bikini. I just know you broke a lot of boys' hearts at school and many more to come next year.
      I bet your Daddy had a lot of fun with his buddy. They have been friends since school. Maybe next time he will stop by to say howdy.
      I will be back...Genies know magic cures. Thank you for your kind wishes and much love to you,
      Aunt Jeannie

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  6. Aunt Jeannie , Man and Bubba Nd Nita three kids are outside playing they said to tell you they love you very much .
    Daddy and poppa is putting food posts on , daddy is making all the food , poppa is doing the pictures and we are doing the eating . Uncle Chris is helping them .
    We told daddy to ask people to send in their favorite food dish , daddy or mama would cook it and poppa will take a picture and put it on the post .
    Aunt Jeannie we all hope you feel better soon so you can talk on daddy post like he do your post .
    I will write more next time , mama need to put a post on Starhooks about a theater shooting in Louisiana that happen today , Mr . Abram fax it to her .
    Love you very much get well soon.

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    1. Hello my dear Crusader,
      It was a lovely surprise to see a note from you. Man and Bubba and the little kids are sweethearts and I love them too. I am a real sucker for kids. I think Daddy and Poppa and Uncle Chris are doing a really good job with the recipes and pictures. Maybe they will write a cook book together. I will look for a recipe to send them.
      I saw Mama's post about the shooting . It was so sad and scary too. People sure go crazy these days.
      I really hope you are having an awesome vacation. And remember not to ride your horse in the swimming pool.
      Thank you for the get well wishes and much love to you my Crusader,
      Aunt Jeannie

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