(ORDO NEWS) — On July 18, 2016, the NASA Kepler space telescope during the Second Light mission discovered an Earth-like exoplanet in the constellation Aquarius, 217.1 light years away from Earth.
The exoplanet, designated EPIC 206209135.04 (later named K2-72 e), orbits the cool red dwarf K2-72 at the center of the habitable zone.
K2-72 e is the most distant of the four exoplanets found orbiting K2-72, making it less vulnerable to violent outbursts from its parent star.
What do K2-72 e and Earth have in common?
- The radius of K2-72 e is 16-29% greater than the radius of the Earth;
- The mass of K2-72 e is approximately 2.2 times the mass of the Earth;
- The calculated equilibrium temperature of K2-72 e is -12 degrees Celsius with an albedo (characteristic of the reflectivity of a surface) equal to zero. Earth’s equilibrium temperature is -18.15 degrees Celsius, but the greenhouse effect provides an average temperature of 15 degrees. If K2-72 e has about the same dense atmosphere as Earth, then the average surface temperature will be 21-23 degrees Celsius.
Significant differences
- K2-72 e revolves around its star with a period of revolution of 24 days and an orbit radius of about 0.1 times the earth’s (naturally, relative to the Sun ). Thus, the distance between the star K2-72 and the exoplanet K2-72 e is comparable to the distance between the Sun and Mercury. It would not be superfluous to recall that K2-72 is a cold red dwarf, so such a small distance is not critical;
- It was found that K2-72 e receives 11% more energy from its star than the Earth from the Sun. This suggests that if there is water on the surface of K2-72 e, it is most likely in the form of a relatively shallow ocean, which is not comparable to the World Ocean on Earth;
- The planet is probably tide-locked: one side of its hemisphere is constantly facing the star, while the opposite side is shrouded in eternal darkness.
Combining all the available data, the scientists concluded that K2-72 e is habitable with a probability of 90%. This exoplanet is a paradise for the development of at least the simplest life forms.
Interesting fact
The Sun is 4.6 billion years old. In about 5 billion years, our star will swell to a red giant, destroying most of the planets, and then collapse, leaving behind a tiny core – a white dwarf.
The star K2-72, being a red dwarf, can shine for another 100-200 trillion years! This is prohibitively long considering the fact that the universe is 13.8 billion years old.
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