Super Earths, massive Earth Like planets that are usually much larger than Earth. Kepler 22b happens to fall under that category. Being 2.4 times larger than Earth, surely makes it a potential goal for our Space program.
According to NASA, at least 48 planets have been found in the Habitable Zone of star systems. This means that 48 planets so far have the potential to sustain life. This is a huge leap for Science, History, and Astronomy.
Just a decade or so ago, many people were convinced that Humans are the highest intelligent life forms in the Universe. Heck, they even went as far as saying that we were the only planet in the Universe that could even sustain life. That we were alone.
Personally, I blame the Government and the Religious leaders for hiding so many secrets. This however, isn’t about them. There are many blogs and forums dedicated to that.
I’m speaking more about the potential, the future. I wrote a post once describing how many stars were in the night sky based on the Deep Space images that Hubble took. If you do the math, there are Sextillion stars in the visible Universe, according to Hubble. That’s a huge number.
In fact, Scientist now believe that there are actually 300 Sextillion stars out there. Basically, take Sextillion and multiply that by 300 and you have an even more massive number. So, my calculation is minute in the possibilities.
Back to Kepler 22b. If Kepler 22b is 2.4 times larger than the Earth and there are 300 Sextillion stars out there. Then it makes you wonder how many Earth Like planets are out there. Something else that has crossed my mind is, how much larger do Earth Like planets actually get? Better yet, how many stars are there out there really? Especially if our Universe is infinite.
We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. It’s clear that we won’t be headed to Kepler 22b any time soon. Not unless we have a Stargate that will allow us to travel there instantly.
What does this mean for our future? Well, if we don’t blow each other up in the coming wars, we just might actually find a planet exactly like Earth in many ways. These Earth Like planets should be a driving force for our Great Nations to work together for a common goal.
The very existence of Humanity depends on our technological growth. That is if we want to sustain the current lifestyles that we have. If we want to preserve our future, our cultures, then we must push forward.
Whether or not you’re a believer in Alien Life Forms, Kepler 22b is a step in the right direction to proving that life elsewhere exist. I for one have always been a firm believer in Extraterrestrial Life. It’s only a matter of time before we make a new leap into Space. Perhaps, some of us might actually live to see that happen.
Kepler 22b
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