Yesterday it was plants made of diamond and today we have eco-planets found that are the size of our own Earth. NASA announced yesterday at a news conference that the planet hunting Kepler spacecraft had found a planetary system consisting of 5 planets orbiting a star about a 1,000 light years away. The Earth-sized planets, Kepler 20e and 20f, are too close to their star to support liquid water so the prospects of life as we know it is unlikely. The temps on 20f are 800 degrees - like Mercury - and 1,400 degrees on 20e - hot enough to melt glass!
Kepler's search will go on but this is a major milestone to finding an Earth-sized eco-planet in a habitable zone around a star. Read More ABout It: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/20dec_earthsized/
Sky Guy in VA
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