Have you ever thought about what would happen if life on Earth ceased to exist? If so, have you thought about where we would move, to start all over again? Well, NASA recently discovered “Earth’s twin”, Kepler-22b.This planet is found in the constellation Lyra, but still has some of the same characteristics as earth, that helps scientists assume that Kepler-22b can sustain life. For example, the distance Kepler-22b is from its heat source or host star, is 15% less than Earth is from the Sun. Kepler-22b is an extrasolar planet, which means its a planet outside of our solar system. It is the first planet in the habitable zone, which is a region in space where liquid water can exist. The planet is 2.4 times the size greater than Earth, so it would be a lot harder to rebuild, discover, and learn about. But, that could mean it can last 2.4 times longer than Earth, a lot less crowded, and a lot less polluted.

Now, this may all seem great, and might make you want to go there, but the distance it is from Earth may not be worth the travel. Kepler-22b is approximately 587 light years away. That means even if we could travel at the speed of light, which is highly improbable, it will still take 587 years to arrive. The size of the fuel take alone would weigh millions of tons, the amount of fuel would cost trillions and trillions of dollars, and the whole ship would have to be the size of the Earth. Even if the ship has enough acceleration to get off the ground, the ship could not travel as fast as the speed of light. Let’s just say if the space ship manages to start its voyage, three generations would have to be made on the ship in order for life to exist. Overall, going to Kepler-22b soon, is highly unlikely.

~Peter Bellantonio