Home > Ephemeris Program, Exoplanets > 04/25/2013 – Ephemeris – Two new exoplanets in the same star’s habitable zone discovered

04/25/2013 – Ephemeris – Two new exoplanets in the same star’s habitable zone discovered

April 25, 2013

Ephemeris for Thursday, April 25th.  The sun rises at 6:41.  It’ll be up for 13 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 8:40.   The moon, at full today, will rise at 8:52 this evening.

Last week came the announcement that an international team, analyzing data from the Kepler satellite had found a star system with two near earth sized planets in the habitable zone for that star.  The two planets around the star Kepler-62 The planets e and f are in the habitable zone for the star and are in the class called super earths 1.6 and 1.4 time the diameter of the earth.  They will require more study to determine their densities, and the composition of their atmospheres.  Exoplanet discoveries continue to mount up, but so far a planet the size of the earth, in the habitable zone of its star has eluded astronomers.  Closer to home, but visible on the other side of the earth there will be a slight partial eclipse of the moon this afternoon our time.

Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The Kepler-62 stellar system

The Kepler-62 stellar system. Credit: JPL/NASA.

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