The latest update on the NASA Kepler telescope suggests that it has discovered a giant Jupiter-sized alien world. The reports claimed that the planet has two suns in its sky and is being considered as Kepler's biggest discovery till date.
It is reported that the NASA telescope discovered the Kepler-1647b gas planet, which is stated to have the widest orbit as it takes 1,107 days to complete a revolution. There are reports that the transits are also not regularly spaced in time and also can vary in duration and depth.
"It's a bit curious that this biggest planet took so long to confirm, since it is easier to find big planets than small ones," said Jerome Orosz, an astronomer at San Diego State University in a statement, as reported by The Verge. "But it is because its orbital period is so long."
Further, there are reports that the Kepler-1647b planet receives appropriate sunlight and heat in order to allow liquid water formation. The astronomers have revealed that the newly discovered planet resides in its stars' habitable zone with capability of supporting the life form. CBS Local reported that according to the research scientists working on the NASA Kepler telescope, the newly discovered planet can be considered as a great place to search for Earth-like life subject matter.
Meanwhile, The Register reported that the Kepler-1647b alien world was launched in March 2009 in order to determine the presence of Earth-like planets throughout the Milky Way galaxy. The reports also suggest that the Kepler telescope spotted the alien world by noting the brightness up and down in planets caused by their stars'.
In addition to all the news about the newly found alien world, it is reported that the Kepler-1647b lies about 3,700 light-years from the Earth's surface, in the direction of the Cygnus constellation. The reports submitted by the NASA Kepler telescope suggests that the two stars of the planet are about 4.4 billion years old.
The discovery of the new Jupiter-like alien world was announced at the American Astronomical Society meeting in San Diego on June 13, 2016.
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