NASA officials announced on Tuesday that the pioneering exoplanet survey telescope - which had led to the identification of almost 2,700 exoplanets - had finally reached its end, having essentially run out of fuel. As of October 2018, the planet-hunting spacecraft has been in space for nearly a decade. “But we think Hycean planets offer a better chance of finding several trace biosignatures.”Ĭo-author Anjali Piette, also from Cambridge, added: “It’s exciting that habitable conditions could exist on planets so different from Earth.”Īn illustration of the Kepler Space Telescope, which is on its very last legs. “Essentially, when we’ve been looking for these various molecular signatures, we have been focusing on planets similar to Earth, which is a reasonable place to start,” he said.
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Hycean planets, Madhusudhan said in a release, offer a new paradigm for the search for life beyond Earth. Many of the prime Hycean candidates identified by the researchers are bigger and hotter than Earth, but the researchers argue that they still have the characteristics to host large oceans that could support microbial life similar to that found in some of Earth’s most extreme watery environments. “Hycean planets open a whole new avenue in our search for life elsewhere,” said Nikku Madhusudhan from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, who led the research. They call them Hycean planets due to the presence of substantial hydrogen in the atmospheres and large oceans (hydrogen and ocean = Hycean) on their surfaces.Īnd in an article in The Astrophysical Journal, they make the case that under certain conditions, some Hycean planets could, indeed, be habitable. There are rocky planets, water worlds, gaseous planets, super-Earths, hot Jupiters, tidally locked planets, planets in orbital resonance with each other, and so much more.Ī group of exoplanet researchers at the University of Cambridge have recently proposed a new category of planet, one that has seldom been considered even potentially habitable. Planets beyond our solar system, we now know, come in all shapes, sizes and consistencies. (Artist rendering by Amanda Smith, University of Cambridge) The image features a red dwarf star as the planet’s host star. A new report from the University of Cambridge suggests this kind of planet, sized between a super-Earth and a mini-Neptunes, could potentially support life. If you have any questions about the Kepler Track I’d love to help so send me a message on Instagram or Facebook or ask below.A so-called Hycean planet is one featuring large oceans and a hydrogen atmosphere.
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Want more Fiordland or New Zealand inspo? Read my Ultimate Guide to Fiordland and Ultimate Guide to New Zealand. If these 40 Kepler Track photos have inspired you to hike the Kepler, check out my complete guide to hiking the Kepler Track, with all the tips on how difficult it is, whether it’s best to do it in 3 of 4 days, which direction to go and lots more. Are you inspired to hike the Kepler Track? If you’re looking for the best luxury boutique hotels in Te Anau, stay at Fiordland Lodgeor Cabot Lodge. Stay in Te Anau the night before and after the hike. The only accommodation on the Kepler Track are the DOC huts.
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Are you inspired to hike the Kepler Track?ĭay One Views of Lake Te Anau Day Two Luxmore Hut Luxmore Hut to Mount Luxmore Mount Luxmore summit Lakes near Forest Burn Shelter Ridgeline between Forest Burn Shelter and Hanging Valley Shelter Days Three and Four Trees, trees, and more trees Where to stay?.Ridgeline between Forest Burn Shelter and Hanging Valley Shelter.