Chris C #1
science
Kepler mission finds 26 planets in 11 solar systems, reported by David Freeman
Huffington Post 1/27/12

Nasa's Kepler mission telescope has recently discovered an additional 2000+ planets in as many as eleven different solar system. Nasa had started this mission, aiming the telescope at a patch of space no larger than a fist, about two years ago. Out of the 2,300 planets the mission has discovered, 60 hold great potential for water and even life. These new planets range from 1.5 times the size of earth to others even bigger than Jupiter. With the current methods of surveillance, it is difficult to tell whether the planets have solid surfaces, or are just balls of gas. However all of the 60 planets are within the desired Goldilocks zone in relation to their own suns. One such planet with the highest life potential has been dubbed as Kepler 22b. Kepler 22b is 600 light years from earth and is well within the parameters to hold liquid water. 22b has an average surface temperature of 72 degrees and is about 2.4 times bigger than earth. Scientists believe 22b is the best chance of finding extraterrestrial life.

In my opinion, being able to find all these planets, some of them potentially having life, is amazing. As Dimitar D. Sasselov, professor at Harvard university said to MSNBC, "there is more diversity out there than our limited imaginations can come up with, which is good."