Kepler-22b

Exoplanet Kepler-22b

Kepler-22b. Discovered: 2011. Planet type: Super Earth 🌍

Kepler-22b is a super-Earth that could be covered in a super ocean. The jury is still out on Kepler-22b’s true nature; at 2.4 times Earth’s radius, it might even be gaseous. But theoretically an ocean world tipped on its side–a bit like our solar system’s ice giant, Uranus–turns out to be comfortably habitable based on recent computer modeling. Researchers found that an exoplanet in Earth’s size range, at a comparable distance from its sun and covered in water, could have an average surface temperature of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 Celsius). Because of its radical tilt, it's north and south poles would be alternately bathed in sunlight and darkness, for half a year each, as the planet circled its star.

Detection Method: Transit

If a planet passes directly between a star and an observer's line of sight, it blocks out a tiny portion of the star's light, thus reducing its apparent brightness. Sensitive instruments can detect this periodic dip in brightness. From the period and depth of the transits, the orbit and size of the planetary companions can be calculated. Smaller planets will produce a smaller effect, and vice-versa. A terrestrial planet in an Earth-like orbit, for example, would produce a minute dip in stellar brightness that would last just a few hours.

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Details from NASA