Here are the first two Earth-sized exoplanets ever discovered

We ’ve learn many stony planet around distant stars , but they ’re mostly topnotch - Earths , much large and more monolithic than our major planet . Plus , most of these “ tiptop Earths ” ambit lead vastly different from our Sun . Now we ’ve discovered two planets that really could be Earth ’s twins .

Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f are part of the five - major planet solar system call Kepler-20 , named for the exoplanet - hunting NASA examine that discovered it . They are locate about a thousand calorie-free - geezerhood away in the configuration Lyra . Unfortunately , these two satellite are much too close to their parent star to be in their solar system ’s habitable zone , which think of in that rather crucial way they ’re not exact duplicates of Earth . But otherwise , they ’re astonishingly close .

In particular , Kepler-20f is nearly identical to Earth in terms of size , with a wheel spoke that ’s just 1.03 fourth dimension magnanimous than that of our major planet . Kepler-20e is small , at just 0.87 times Earth ’s wheel spoke , which mean it ’s slightly smaller than Venus . They stand for the very first ground - sized exoplanets ever recover . Until now , Kepler-10b , the first rocky exoplanet ever found , was the smallest known exoplanet , at 1.4 times Earth ’s wheel spoke .

Hostinger Coupon Code 15% Off

What really clinches the strong-arm similarity between these two planets and Earth is their principal . Kepler-20 is a class deoxyguanosine monophosphate wiz , just like the Sun , and it ’s only slightly diminished and cooler than ours . However , while the dimension of the planets and stars may be similar , their location is immensely different . Kepler-20e revolve the star every 6.1 day and has an average temperature of 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit , while Kepler-20f clock in at 19.6 days and 800 level .

While these Earth - sized exoplanets naturally attract the most attention , the entire Kepler-20 system is fascinating . The other planets – Kepler-20b , Kepler-20c , and Kepler-20d – are all between the sizing of Earth and Neptune , making them superintendent - Earths . They revolve every 3.7 , 10.9 , and 77.6 days , respectively , which intend the smaller rough planets time slot in between those orbits . We ’ve never seen such alternation between big and smaller planets before . In our solar system , for example , there ’s unmortgaged segregation between the humble jumpy planet and the big gas titan .

This proclamation come up spicy on the hound of the find of Kepler-22b , a planet in another solar organisation that is in the habitable zone but probably too large to have a rocky surface . As Kepler deputy science team chair Natalie Batalha observes , we keep discover exoplanets with some , but not all , of the qualities needed to bear out life . With this latest find , it seems the discovery of a true Earth-2 really is just a matter of time .

Burning Blade Tavern Epic Universe