Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Voyage to an Exoplanet: Kepler 442b, or Bust


You see that little exoplanet up at the top, in the middle? It's name is Kepler 442b, and hopefully, it holds the future of the human race. It's no secret that a depressing, "Wall-E"-esque future is a possibility, given the current societal, political, economic, and ecological issues us humans are faced with everyday. From our position on the brink of World War III, to the slow annihilation of the Earth's resources and ozone, the inhabitants of this planet could be in for a very frightening future. If we blow ourselves up, or the ozone layers are dismantled, given our hopeful technological advancements, it is fair to say that we could potentially, simply move


Look no farther than Kepler 442b! 442b is a "confirmed near-Earth-sized exoplanet, likely rocky, orbiting within the habitable zone of a K-type star," according to the JPL/NASA website. (A K-type star refers to its status as an orange dwarf star, meaning that it is smaller than our sun, but it is still able to provide heat enough for life.) This larger-than-Earth exoplanet is 1,120 light-years from Earth, which shouldn't be too tough with our hopeful light-speed travel in the future. According to its ESI (Earth Similarity Index) of 0.84, its temperature, size, and ability to provide us with a vital source of water are close enough to Earth to be sustainable, given adjustments of course. For example, given 442b's mass of 2.34 Earth masses, a new measuring system would have to be devised to allow for a more streamlined conversion rate. It's orbit of it's host star, Kepler 442, is a mere 112.3 Earth-days, meaning that the process of harvesting crops for food and manufacturing would have to be changed significantly, to allow for such drastic changes. In essence, all of the science as we know it would look very different, in regards to the procedures and philosophy behind it. 

Interestingly enough, because of its size, distance from its host star, and lack of a strong atmosphere, the surface temperature of our hopeful new home is −40 °F. That's quite cold, but nothing some strong and innovative terraforming couldn't deal with in time. As of now, we don't have to worry too much about the logistical side of this potential mass exodus. We can leave that to the scientists, but it's never too early to think about the future, especially when we know how far planning can get you. 



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Images: 

JPL/ NASA website (Press release)
Quora.com - "Should We Terraform Another Planet?"

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