Have we finally found EARTH 2.0?

Have we finally found EARTH 2.0?

Astronomers discover first same-size planet in habitable zone that could support alien life

The first Earth-sized world in the habitable zone of a star has been found
Kepler-186f is 1.1 times the size of Earth and orbits its star in 130 days
The discovery was made by a team of scientists using the Kepler telescope
It could be the first planet found outside our solar system with liquid water
And it is the most likely place for alien life to exist that's been found so far
By Jonathan O'Callaghan

Published: 18:00 GMT, 17 April 2014 | Updated: 18:42 GMT, 17 April 2014

For decades astronomers have been searching for a world like our own outside the solar system that could host alien life.

And now astronomers have announced that they have found one - a planet 1.1 times the size of Earth orbiting a star just 490 light years away.

Called Kepler-186f, the planet is the first to be discovered with the right conditions for liquid water to exist on its surface, meaning it could support alien life as well.

Earth 2?  Kepler-186f

Astronomers have announced they have discovered a planet called Kepler-186f, artist's illustration shown. It is the first Earth-sized planet outside our solar system that has been discovered in the habitable zone of a star, which means it could have both water and life on its surface

The find was made by a team of astronomers led by Elisa Quintana of the SETI Institute at Nasa Ames Research Center, who pored through planetary data from Nasa’s Kepler space telescope.

To date, the telescope has found hundreds of planets, but most are uninhabitable worlds that are either too large or orbit too close to their host star to support life.

The discovery of Kepler-186f, therefore, is a big milestone in the field of planet hunting.

It is the fifth and outermost world of the planetary system around red dwarf star Kepler-186 and is almost certainly a rocky planet.

The find is significant because it is the first Earth-sized world we’ve found in the habitable zone of a star.

Habitable zones, also known as ‘Goldilocks zones’, are regions around a star where the temperature is just right for water to form.

Earth, for example, sits almost bang in the middle of our sun’s habitable zone.

Although previously we have found exoplanets (worlds outside the solar system) in these zones, none have been the same size as Earth.

As our planet is known to have life, it stands to reason that a similar planet may also be habitable.

This could make Kepler-186f the first world we’ve found that might host life as we know it.

It should not surprise us if God has many Earths scattered throughout His Universe.  What is God's Purpose with Earth is a Question that should be pondered by us ALL.  God has given us the anwer to this in His Word the Bible.