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Despite the presumption, based on previous knowledge, that planets outside the solar system (exo-planets) were likely to be balls of gas similar to Jupiter, the Kepler mission has found startling evidence to the contrary. It would appear that the gas giants have only been more prevalent due to their size, which made them easier for astronomers to spot. Now Kepler has discovered over 700 potential new planets, 140 of which are similar in size to Earth, which suggests such planets are actually far more common.
The Kepler space probe collects raw data at a phenomenal rate (a 95 megapixels image every 6 seconds), although only the data for selected stars is sent back to Earth. From this, scientists have already seen clear signs that at least five of the many thousands of stars (150,000+) studied by Kepler have two or more planets in orbit around them. That's a potential five new solar systems.
However, Kepler astrophysicist Jason Steffen has published a separate paper suggesting some of the new solar system type planets are indeed "Earth-like" [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], with a rocky surface and potential mass no greater than ten times that of Earth.
According to recent reports, 706 possible planets have been discovered, but so far just five have been granted official confirmation. Undoubtedly, the multi-planet systems are causing most of the excitement. Writing for The Sunday Times (25/07/10) [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Jonathan Leake says: "Astronomers are keen to find out how common multi-planet systems are because these are thought most likely to create conditions where life might have a chance to evolve."
The Kepler mission is a search for habitable planets. It is designed specifically to search our region of the Milky Way to find small planets orbiting stars [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and hopefully extrapolate from this information how many planets there might be circling the hundreds of billions of stars in the galaxy.
What is the Kepler Mission?
The Kepler spacecraft, named after astronomer/mathematician Johannes Kepler (he of the laws of planetary motion), is a deep space telescope with a wide field of view photometer (light meter). It uses the transit method of detecting planets, which observes the changes in light density when a planet passes in front of its star.
The Kepler mission has a stated aim to find planets capable of supporting life. According to the Kepler mission FAQs, the scientists do definitely believe there are planets out there that can do this. For carbon based life to evolve, water is an important factor - not too hot, not too cold. Air is also required in the correct balance - the gas giants have too much air. Basically, the more Earth-like a planet is, the more chance there is of finding life.
Read on
The Planets in the Solar System
What Will Extrasolar Earths Look Like
NASA Search for ExoPlanets, The Kepler Mission
Has Kepler Found Any New Solar Systems?
Kepler scientist Dimitar Sasselov caused confusion in some areas of the media by using the term Earth-like during a global conference (TED global, July 2010, Oxford, UK). He explains, on the NASA website, that whilst many people equate Earth-like with Earth-size and habitable, that was not his intention. Sasselov elaborates: "Earth-size and Earth-like is (sic) certainly not the same. Take the example of Venus, an Earth-size planet whose surface will melt lead."
Is There Life on Other Planets?
Kepler launched on March 6th 2009, and is designed to observe for up to 6 years. A minimum of 3.5 years is the planned mission schedule for NASA. Kepler is pointed along the Orion spiral arm of our galaxy, at the constellations Cygnus and Lyra.
Earth Size Does Not Mean Earth Like