On December 6, 2011, the National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA) announced that scientists had discovered a "habitable" planet, that is, a planet that is capable of sustaining life. The scientists named the planet Kepler-22b. It is more than twice the size of Earth. The discovery of Kepler-22b came about as a result of NASA's Kepler mission, a group of scientists that searches for planets that could possibly sustain life.
Like Earth, Kepler-22b orbits a star. Its star is similar to Earth's Sun. Kepler-22b's distance from its star is far enough away that the planet is not extremely hot. Kepler-22b is also close enough to the star that the planet is not incredibly cold. The average surface temperature is believed to be 72 °F (22 °C). Scientists say that Kepler-22b is within "The Goldilocks Zone." This means that it orbits at a distance from its star that allows its temperature and other conditions to be "just right" for supporting life.
There is much to learn about Kepler-22b. Scientists don't know what Kepler-22b is made of. They have not yet discovered if it is made mainly of rocks, gases, or liquids. Exploration of Kepler-22b is unlikely to happen any time in the near future. It would take 22 million years to get there because Kepler-22b is 600 light years away. Exploring Kepler-22b would be the greatest achievement in space science.
Which sentence about Kepler-22b is NOT supported by facts in the passage?
• 1. Kepler-22b's distance from its star is far enough away that the planet is not extremely hot.
• 2. There is much to learn about Kepler-22b.
3. Exploration of Kepler-22b is unlikely to happen any time in the near future.
C
4. Exploring Kepler-22b would be the greatest achievement in space science.
1 answer
1 answer