Question

The Kepler

The Kepler spacecraft was designed to investigate humanity's last unexplored frontier: the far reaches of space. The NASA space telescope looks deep into the Milky Way galaxy for signs of habitable planets where humans could potentially thrive. In the thousands of planets, it has identified, three are in livable orbits similar to Earth. The planet most similar to Earth is Kepler 186f, known as "Earth's cousin." Over 490 light years away, all that NASA knows is that Kepler 186f's size and distance from its star are comparable to Earth. As technology advances, hopefully we will learn more about Kepler 186f's ability to nurture life. Perhaps someday our descendants will cross the insurmountable distance to explore the surface of Earth's cousin, maybe even contact with life on another world.

Which of the following is evidence for the theory that Kepler-186f may be able to support life?
a. Kepler-186f will be the destination for our descendants someday
b. Kepler-186f is an unexplored frontier
c. Kepler-186f's size and distance from its star is comparable to Earth
d. Kepler-186f is more than 490 light-years from Earth

Answer 1

The evidence for Kepler-186f's potential to support life is its Earth-like size and orbit within the habitable zone, suggesting it could have liquid water.

Step-by-step explanation:

The evidence for the theory that Kepler-186f may be able to support life is that Kepler-186f's size and distance from its star is comparable to Earth. This factor places it within the habitable zone, which is the area around a star where conditions might be right for liquid water to exist on the planet's surface, a crucial element for life as we know it.

Astronomers and scientists consider the habitable zone important because it suggests a temperature range that is capable of maintaining liquid water. Exoplanets within the habitable zone, such as Kepler-186f, become prime candidates in the search for life beyond our solar system. However, simply being in the habitable zone does not guarantee that a planet is habitable, as other factors such as its atmosphere composition and geological activity also play a critical role. Nevertheless, a planet's size and its distance from its star provide a starting point for further examination of its potential to nurture life.