Top 10 “Super Earths” Discovered This Year

Whoa!  Check out these and how close they are?  By cosmic standards anyway:

Kepler 10 is a Sun-like star 564 light years from Earth. Kepler 10b is a rocky planet more than three times the mass of Earth. It’s so close to its star that its orbit lasts only 19 hours. With a density similar to iron, its surface is molten.

Kepler 62 is a star 1200 light years away. Slightly smaller and cooler than our Sun. Of five known planets around this star, Kepler 62e orbits the inner edge of the habitable zone. At 1.6 times the mass of Earth, 62e is probably solid. It could be terrestrial or water-ice dominated. Kepler 62f lies within the habitable zone. At 2.8 times the mass of Earth, it is probably rocky and covered by ocean or ice.

What do you think we will find?  And how would you study them further?  Perhaps using the hubble or even the SETIU program?

Feel free to comment as this topic is gonna get even more interesting soon!



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