An Earth-like planet, discovered by American space agency Nasa’s Kepler space telescope in 2013, may support human life, scientists have said.
Kepler 62f, orbiting a star 1,200 light years away, is about 40 per cent larger than the Earth and may possess liquid water that is extremely essential for human life. It is the outermost of five planets circling a star that is smaller and cooler than the Sun.
“We found there are multiple atmospheric compositions that allow it to be warm enough to have surface liquid water. This makes it a strong candidate for a habitable planet,” said lead scientist Dr Aomawa Shields, from the University of California at Los Angeles.
New computer simulations of possible kinds of atmosphere that might be found on Kepler 62f suggest it could sustain life. Because of the planet’s distance from its host star, it would need the greenhouse effect of a thick carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere to keep its water from freezing, the research showed.
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