Located 400 light years away from Earth, Kepler 78-b is approximately 1.2 times the size of Earth, although with a mass 1.7 times greater. Although similar sized planets have been discovered before, this one is unique as it has a measurable size and mass, and primarily consists of rocks and metals (mostly iron).
For those hoping that Kepler 78-b will host life, scientists have pointed out that the planet is far too hot to boast any alien lifeforms. It orbits its host star once every 8.5 hours, compared to Earth's 365 days. The result is a fiery rock far removed from Earth's own habitable environment.
NASA's Natalie Batalha says the discovery of 78-b "speaks of progress. The Doppler teams are attaining higher precision, measuring masses of smaller planets at each turn. This bodes well for the broader goal of one day finding evidence of life beyond Earth".
The Kepler mission has seen a satellite of the same name monitor over 140,000 stars, attempting to identify light 'dimmings' that could be caused by planets orbiting the stars in question. Astronomers can then further study 'candidate' planets. Kepler's survey has directly assisted in the discovery of Kepler 10b - the first terrestrial (or 'rocky') planet discovered outside the solar system. It is also too hot to support life.
Based on the data Kepler has transmitted back to Earth, one group of astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has estimated there are around 17 billion Earth-sized planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone.
As Kepler data continues to be examined and interpreted by scientists back on Earth, the satellite itself has suffered several major malfunctions. Although it will be unable to fulfil its initial mission goals, NASA are considering what alternatives they can achieve by utilising currently operational instruments. This will be dependent on whether the data can justify the high annual cost of continuing the mission.
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