Scrolling through my news feed is like second nature. It usually consists of lots of cat videos, memes, rants, selfies, and pictures of celebrations. But every once in a while, something really amazing stops me in my tracks. Like, oh I dunno... the discovery of a Second Earth!!

To say that I was excited would be an understatement. Being a fan of sceince fiction I have a long standing relationship with Dr. Who, Captain Kirk and Apollo. I'm not gonna lie... I read that headline and suddenly felt like I was in an episode of Battlestar Galactica...



But in all seriousness this is an amazing discovery! According to the article Kepler-452b is the first truly Earth-like planet. It orbits a star similar to our own Sun called Kepler-452 in almost an identical path to the orbit Earth makes around the Sun.


kepler 452b and Earth comparison. Image credit: NASA


Scientists can’t measure the mass of Kepler-452b directly, but  they think that the planet is five times as massive as the Earth, with a rocky surface like our own. What's more, they estimate that Kepler 452b only has twice the gravity of Earth, which means habitability on this planet is actually possible.

Of course this Earth-like planet is about 1,400 light years away so it's unlikely i'll ever see the day when we all board star ships and head out to our new home, but nonetheless it's an incredible moment for science!