| Exoplanetary Scratchpad |
Contains the smallest planet in the habitable zone around a star at the time of its discovery by Kepler. The first around a sun-like star at Earth-like distances that is not probably tidally locked. The first potentially habitable planet confirmed (transits confirmed on other telescopes). Orbits around a sun-like star about every 290 days. It is about 2.4 times the radius of Earth and most likely gaseous. Its mass is difficult to measure and may be beyond the ability of modern telescopes (Keck will give it a try), so it has not been confirmed to be rocky yet (some planets the same size are either). A new technique determining mass from atmospheric pressure may one day help nail down its mass. It was the first of 54 habitable zone planet candidates to be independently confirmed. Depicted in art as blue with green clouds, the Scientific Exoplanets Renderer did not compute that it was habitable though. Its surface temperature is 76F, similar to a spring day on Earth. Searches for a potentially habitable moon, which it was predicted to be a good candidate for, have not found anything.
Kepler 22 System Web Pages[]
Kepler 22 System In the News[]
First Potentially Planet Discovered around Sun-like Star (Dec 2011)[]
- http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/nov/HQ_M11-243_Kepler.html - pre-announcement
- http://www.space.com/13808-nasa-kepler-alien-planet-conference-announcement.html - Preannouncement
- http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/dec/HQ_11-408_Kepler_Habitable_Planet.html
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/dec/05/exoplanet-kepler-22-b-nasa-earth
- http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-planet-found-in-habitable-zone-111205.html
- http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2011/12/astronomers-find-planet-in-the-goldilocks-zone/
- http://www.voanews.com/english/news/science-technology/NASA-Confirms-First-Earth-Sized-Planet-in-a-Sun-like-Stars-Habitable-Zone-135132293.html
- http://www.registerguard.com/web/opinion/27284094-47/planets-kepler-planet-solar-star.html.csp
- http://rt.com/news/planet-earth-nasa-space-185/
- http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3982523/Space-boffins-find-Earth-like-globe-Kepler-22b.html
- http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/home/spacenews/files/kepler22b.html
- http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/06/MN511M8I5O.DTL&type=science
- http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/12/06/07.xml&headline=Kepler%20Finds%20A%20Goldilocks%20Zone%20Planet
- http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Scientists-find-planet-in-star-s-habitable-zone-2346787.php
- http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/planet-found-that-might-be-able-to-sustain-life-20111205
- http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2011/12/05/did-nasa-find-a-habitable-planet-maybe/
- http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/05/us/kepler-nasa-planet/index.html
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8937424/Nasas-Kepler-mission-to-survey-the-Milky-Way.html
- http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/12/potentially-habitable-planet-is-.html?ref=hp
- http://en.rian.ru/science/20111206/169382945.html
- http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/05/BA511M8I5O.DTL
- http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/12/kepler-planet-candidate-count-clears-2000-first-habitable-zone-candidate-confirmed.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/12/111205-earthlike-planet-confirmed-life-nasa-kepler-habitable-space-science/
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/newest-alien-planet-is-just-the-right-temperature-for-life/2011/12/05/gIQAPk1vWO_story.html
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8937173/Nasas-Kepler-space-telescope-finds-new-Earth.html
- http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/12/new_planet_kepler-22b_nasa_jpl_caltech.php
- http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n1112/05exo/
- http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/336716/title/Distant_world_looks_ripe_for_life
- http://www.npr.org/2011/12/05/143142279/found-earth-like-planet-that-might-be-right-for-life
- http://news.yahoo.com/earth-planets-feature-survey-155216156.html
- http://news.yahoo.com/planet-sweet-spot-goldilocks-zone-life-223007926.html
- http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/story/2011-12-05/nasa-finds-planet-that-could-sustain-life/51656310/1
- http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1112/05kepler/
- http://www.space.com/13821-nasa-kepler-alien-planets-habitable-zone.html
- http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2011/12/05/kepler-22-b-another-step-closer-to-finding-earth-like-worlds/
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21243-smallest-habitable-world-around-sunlike-star-found.html
- http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/05/us-space-planet-idUSTRE7B42CV20111205
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16040655
SETI Back Online, Will Explore System (Dec 2011)[]
- http://news.discovery.com/space/seti-to-hunt-for-aliens-on-keplers-worlds.html
- http://www.seti.org/node/905
Implications of Discovery (Dec 2011)[]
- http://earthsky.org/space/alan-boss-on-earth-like-planet-discovered-600-light-years-away - interview discoverer
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16055120 - video interview
- http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2011/12/06/143193614/welcome-to-the-age-of-planets
- http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57337178-71/the-sad-self-obsession-surrounding-nasas-kepler-22b-discovery/
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2070388/Exoplanet-Kepler-22b-NASA-Kepler-Mission-finds-habitable-blue-planet.html
Probably Too Big and Hot For Life (Dec 2011)[]
- http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/05/9233790-alien-planets-get-pigeonholed
- http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/336775/title/Distant_world_looks_too_ripe_for_life
- http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/science/space/scientists-are-hot-on-trail-of-exoplanets-suitable-for-life.html?_r=2&ref=science
Keck to Attempt Mass Reading in Spring 2012 (Dec 2011)[]
- http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/earth-like-planet-kepler-22b-to-get-close-up-summer-2012.php
- http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2101646,00.html
- http://nvonews.com/2011/12/11/kepler-22b-new-planet-or-super-earth-how-to-ascertain-it/
- http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2011/12/08/cant-always-tell-an-exoplanet-by-its-size/
Too Soon to Render (2011)[]
Year in Review (2011)[]
Loss of Planetary Tilt Could Doom Life (Jan 2012)[]
- See Gliese 581 System, Kepler-22 System
Probing Airless Rocky World's Surfaces (May 2013)[]
- Kepler-22 System b, Kepler-20 System f, Kepler-11 System b: Planets that may have rocky surfaces.
Unable to Distinguish if Rocky with Extended Atmosphere or Water with Little Atmosphere[]
No Potentially Habitable Moon Found (2013)[]
Good Candidate for Habitable Moon (2013)[]
- See also KOI-211 System