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NASA image of what the planet looks like NASA

Scientists discover planet that is more like Earth than any other planet (but still not that similar)

The planet is snappily named Kepler 186f.

SCIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED a planet which is more like Earth than any other planet that has so far been discovered – but is sill not that similar.

The rocky planet, snappily named Kepler 186f, is close in size to Earth and has the potential to hold water, which is necessary for life, the researchers said.

The planet, which is in the Milky Way, confirms that Earth-sized planets exist in the habitable zone of stars other than our sun, researchers said.

While other planets have already been found in this habitable zone, they are all at least 40 per cent bigger in size than Earth and their make-up is much different.

The planet, which is about 500 light years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus, was spotted by NASA’s Kepler telescope.

“We know of just one planet where life exists – Earth. When we search for life outside our solar system we focus on finding planets with characteristics that mimic that of Earth,” said Elisa Quintana, a researcher at the SETI Institute at NASA’s Ames Research Centre in California and lead author of the paper published today in the journal Science.

“Finding a habitable zone planet comparable to Earth in size is a major step forward”.

However don’t start making plans to move there just yet.

“Being in the habitable zone does not mean we know this planet is habitable,” said Thomas Barclay, co-author of the paper. “The temperature on the planet is strongly dependent on what kind of atmosphere the planet has.”

“Kepler-186f can be thought of as an Earth-cousin rather than an Earth-twin. It has many properties that resemble Earth”.

Read: Look up! The International Space Station is in our skies until 22 April > 

Read: A NASA spacecraft has witnessed the birth of a ‘new moon’ in the rings of Saturn > 

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84 Comments
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    Mute Rust Cohle
    Favourite Rust Cohle
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:31 PM

    Those Anonymous lads are useless.

    Claim to be edgy social justice warriors and all they do is target silly celebs and hack kid’s PlayStations at Christmas.

    Seem like a load dicks.

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    Mute Lad
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    Jan 5th 2016, 3:51 PM

    Anonymous isn’t real. People watch to much movies and the media give it far to much coverage. Do people honestly think that hacking experts would be concerned with this stuff.. People are so nieve

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    Mute (♐️)Sagiton Games.
    Favourite (♐️)Sagiton Games.
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:51 PM

    Not so.
    They also exposed paedo websites on the dark net.
    They also Ddos’d the Israelis during their most bloodthirsty campaign against people armed with stones.

    1
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    Mute Joe MacCarthaigh
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:37 PM

    Is there any other human behaviour these cyber terrorist seek to regulate?

    77
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    Mute Cardio Reilly
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:38 PM

    He should be done for murdering hair cuts also

    32
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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:55 PM

    Chasing down a defenseless animal with horse and hound with intent to kill it, is something that should be regulated. And by regulated I mean banned. Fox hunting is horrible. I can understand a farmer killing a fox to protect his livestock, but people actively going out to slaughter foxes to get their thrills is abhorrent.

    His statement says no hunt took place, so hopefully that’s true.

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    Mute Enda Kenny
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    Jan 21st 2016, 11:13 AM

    Mattie McGrath and Michael Healy Rae support it

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    Mute Amy Wendover
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    Mar 10th 2016, 12:53 AM

    Ah feck off. The guy was on a trail hunt. Stop using this article for extremist ideology that seeks to ban pet ownership, farming and just about every thing else. Fox hunting IS about protecting livestock.

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    Mute Al-Right
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:24 PM

    One guy through his success moves to the countryside, buys land, goes out with the local horsey set and is suddenly public enemy number 1?

    When there’s people being robbed, kidnapped, tortured, raped, murdered, drying of disease every minute of the day in the world… these people need to get there screwed up priorities straight!

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    Mute Ken Pepper
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:46 PM

    Looks like Larry Mullen with eyeliner

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    Mute Enoch Fairfax
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    Jan 5th 2016, 3:24 PM

    ‘Anonymous’ is no longer what it originally was. It was a collective of basement dwellers from the likes of 4chan doing things simply for the fun of it, for a reaction, because they could. Then some time around 2011 it became hijacked by these social justice warriors that do interviews with news channels wearing Guy Fawkes masks. Anonymous never had an agenda or political allegiance, it was just bitter spotty 20-something’s with a range of IT skills exploiting common security faults to have a bit of fun. These “hacktivists” are even less tech-savvy, rely mostly on DDoS attacks to rattle a few cages for whatever ultra liberal cause they’re supporting this week. It’s an insult to what it once was.

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    Mute Oran Joyce
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:09 PM

    The world is being dominated by two extreme forces.
    On one end of the spectrum religious fundamentalism through ISIS.
    On the other end the ever tightening noose of political correctness through Anonymous.
    With ISIS the chances of escape are greater given that they located in particular geographical locations.
    With Anonymous there’s no escape.

    29
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    Mute Tomasz Kuchnik
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:02 PM

    Farming Animals should be killed in painless and as humane as possible way. Hunting does often injure them badly before they eventually slowly die. Also I don’t believe in hunting for fun. If you really eat what you hunt then I’d say fair enough. But losers paying 50K euro for African trip to kill lion just shock me. If he’s rich and influential singer he should be acting for animal welfare not opposite! Didn’t like much their music anyway.

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    Mute Amy Wendover
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    Mar 10th 2016, 1:00 AM

    Thomas – Ru a member of that bunch of extremists based in westmeath by any chance? Extreme vegan?

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    Mute paul farrell
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:58 PM

    Yep I’m sure he’s shittting his pants !!!!! He will get his voodoo people after them… And Charlie will smack his b**tch up,

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    Mute Tomasz Kuchnik
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:46 PM

    Great work anonymous, unliking his social media now and will never involve with his music again.

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    Mute Mark Ryan
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:51 PM

    Why?

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    Mute Malcolm Lackey
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:53 PM

    But yet you will shop in a shopping center that contributes to the deaths of millions of sheep, cows, lambs, goats, deers and loads of other animals? You’d swear all of anonymous were vegetarians!!

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    Mute EdWhite
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:53 PM

    I’d say he’s devastated to hear it.

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    Mute Tomasz Kuchnik
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    Jan 5th 2016, 1:56 PM

    Because I despise any hunters.

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    Mute Malcolm Lackey
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:26 PM

    Well Thomas, you or I wouldn’t be around if our ancestors didn’t hunt, I would love to live.off grid n hunt n grow my own food, at least that way idI’d know for sure what I was eating, ya know like we were eating horse meat labled as cow for years, what other crap are they giving us, n I don’t agree with the way they are bread and killed on an industrial scale, that is a lot worse than fox hunting, no?

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    Mute Tomasz Kuchnik
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:32 PM

    Both are wrong and as you know two wrongs don’t make a right.
    Fox hunting should be banned and so badly executed farming should be banned. My point is however people like him with money and power should spend their time fighting bad and doing good if you know what I mean not the opposite… Look at Ricky Gervais etc. Very Disappointed with this Prodigy man.

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    Mute (♐️)Sagiton Games.
    Favourite (♐️)Sagiton Games.
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    Jan 7th 2016, 1:54 PM

    Exactly. It is the intensively farmed cows and pigs I feel really sorry for.
    I would love to have the opportunity to be able to catch and kill my own dinner.
    On a side note. Did you know it it illegal to hunt with a bow and arrow in Ireland?

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    Mute Amy Wendover
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    Mar 10th 2016, 12:55 AM

    Cos the guy went on a trail hunt? Seriously – you are either an Id10t or a troll …

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    Mute Amy Wendover
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    Mar 10th 2016, 12:57 AM

    Here we go ban hunting – ban hunting. Ban pet ownership! This extremist ideology should be showed up for the absolute drivel it represents.

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    Mute Robert Preston
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:15 PM

    This will be an interesting year for Flint . The commoner has become the gentry .I am against fox hunting for two reasons . Cruelty and what it symbilises the gentry . Flint change your ways .

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    Mute bandido
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:22 PM

    New album due out this year.
    Can’t wait, I’m a massive fan

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    Mute Mer Curial
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    Jan 5th 2016, 4:55 PM

    Fox hunter, twisted fox hunter…..

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    Mute Katie Wrest
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:30 PM

    Really displaying your ignorance there Robert, because only the gentry hunt of course !!!

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    Mute Ken Pepper
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    Jan 5th 2016, 3:40 PM

    Smack my Flint up !

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    Mute Eoin Fleming
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    Jan 5th 2016, 3:31 PM

    I’d be more worried about his Pyro mania

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    Mute Ken Pepper
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    Jan 5th 2016, 3:39 PM

    ” You’re no good to me, I don’t need nobody. Don’t need nobody, that’s no good to me!”
    Bingo ambassador Foxy Bingo, said today, in response to the claims about Flint’s interest in this ” sport”.

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    Mute Paul Dunne
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    Jan 5th 2016, 2:58 PM

    bit of trivia for ya he runs a racing team that won tt races last year.

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    Mute Mer Curial
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    Jan 5th 2016, 4:58 PM

    Did he set the foxes on fire by any chance?

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    Mute Dean Cullen
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    Jan 5th 2016, 7:24 PM

    Well that’s ” no good ” is it !

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    Mute Declan Leonard
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    Jan 5th 2016, 9:10 PM

    Haha, Keith shat it

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