Scientists detect rare “Super Earth” 1,200 light years from our planet
Scientists at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, detected an exoplanet with characteristics similar to those of the Earth at the center of the galaxy. Kepler-62f is described as a rare “Super Earth” and is found in the constellation Lyra, about 1,200 light years from our planet.
According to researchers at the New Zealand university, Kepler-62f is part of a set of rare exoplanets that have a size and orbit similar to that of Earth. Antonio Herrera Martin, the scientist who led the investigation, explains that the planet has a dimension that is between the size of the Earth and that of Neptune.
The study recently published in the scientific journal The Astronomical Journal explains that Kepler-62f orbits a star with 10% of the total mass of the Sun, being in the “habitable” zone of the Kepler-62 planetary system. One year on the planet is equivalent to about 617 Earth days.
Kepler-62f is not an exoplanet totally unknown to the scientific community. In 2013, NASA discovered three new planets in the Kepler-62 and Kepler-69 planetary systems, including the one recently detected by scientists at the University of Canterbury.
In April 2020, a group of researchers from the SETI Institute discovered the most Earth-like exoplanet. Kepler-1649c is found in the constellation Cygnus, at a distance of 302 light years, and is a rocky planet, about 6% larger than Earth and orbits a “habitable” area of its star.
