Kepler-22b, our first planet in the habitable zone of a Sun-like Star
The Kepler Science Conference is happening Dec 5 through 9. Recordings of conference presentations may be found on the Conference Sessions/Schedule page See: 2011 Dec 5 Press Conference video on YouTube Published paper: Kepler-22b: A 2.4 Earth-radius Planet in the Habitable Zone of a Sun-like Star NASA News Release Press Conference Slides (PDF, 17.61 MB) Press Conference Slides (Power Point, 17.73 MB) Press Kit page Diagrams This image is an artist's conception of planet Kepler-22b, a planet known to comfortably circle in the habitable zone of a sun-like star. It is the first planet that NASA's Kepler mission has confirmed to orbit in a star's habitable zone -- the region around a star where liquid water, a requirement for life on Earth, could persist. The planet is 2.4 times the size of Earth, making it the smallest yet found to orbit in the middle of the habitable zone of a star like our sun. Scientists do not yet know if the planet has a predominan