Two Earth-like planets are now better places to search for life

Kepler 186f ignited the imagination of space nerds four years ago when NASA announced it as the first potentially habitable terrestrial planet, confirmed beyond our solar system. A new study indicates that the exoplanet at 500 light-years may also have seasons and a climate similar to ours.

Up to here scientists believe to know the orbits of Kepler 186f in the so-called "auriferous zone" around a dwarf star in the direction of the constellation Cygnus. This means that temperatures are good so that water can accumulate on the surface. The size and mass of the planet also indicate that it has a rocky surface like that of our planet.

A new study by Georgia Tech University analyzed the rotation and axial inclination of the planet and showed that its inclination is stable like that of the Earth. it is likely Kepler 186f also has regular seasons and a stable climate.

This is not a trivial thing when it comes to determining how good a planet can be for the development of life. As the study co-author and Georgia Tech Assistant Professor Gongjie Li explains, large fluctuations in the tilt of Mars could explain why it has dried up in the world arid that it is today.

Mars had an unstable inclination of 60 degrees. "This instability has probably contributed to the degradation of the Martian atmosphere and the evaporation of surface water," Li said in a statement. The research was published in The Astronomical Journal in May, but Georgia Tech shared more information about it this week.

The team says Kepler 62f an exoplanet slightly more distant but potentially habitable, also has a stable inclination.

The tilt of the Earth is stabilized in part by other planets and our only big moon, something that is missing in Mars. It is not yet known what stabilizes the tilt of the two exoplanets, or even if they need help.

"We do not know if they own moons, but our calculations show that even without satellites, the Kepler-186f and 62f rotation axes would have remained constant for tens of millions of years," explains Li.

There is not enough information yet to say that one or the other planet has water or liquid life, seem become more worthy of a more attentive look.

Just when we will have this follow-up look is a bit on the air right now. The next-generation observatory of NASA, the James Webb's Space Telescope runs a few years late and its launch date continues to slide .It is currently ready to take off in early 2021, so we can start to get a better idea of ​​what's going on. a sunset on Kepler 186f really looks like five years

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