The new celestial body was officially named Kepler-22b, but informally is called “Twin Earth”.
Kepler-22b is located roughly 600 light years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus and has a radius of about 2.5 times that of our home planet.
Although Kepler-22b is larger than the Earth, the temperature is believed to be similar. If the greenhouse effect on Kepler-22b is the same too, astronomers suggest that its surface heats up to a life-friendly 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit). The planet is thus considered to be suitable for organic life.
The discovery was made by the Kepler Space Telescope, which launched in March 2009. Due to the enormous distance from the Earth, it is impossible to detect the exact mass of the planet or the surface composition. There is also no data on the shape of its orbit, yet there are some parameters that are available to scientists.
Kepler-22b orbits its star every 290 days and is about 0.85 Earth-sun distances or astronomical units away. The inclination of the planet's orbit is approximately 90 degrees. It has a density similar of that of rock and is possibly an “ocean-like” world.
All the above means that the environment on Kepler-22b could be similar to that of the Earth. Yet the habitability of any planet depends on other important factors such as the variability of the star it orbits and the presence of an atmosphere. But even though modern telescopes are unable to obtain this data, Kepler-22b is an important symbol for the exoplanet hunters who are seeking an Earth 2.0.
