34 times larger than Earth's radius. Its average temperature is 233 Kelvin (-40°C) that despite being below water's freezing point could still host periods of time with liquid water. This data, all found using the transit exoplanet detection method, suggests that the star that it orbits is an orange dwarf. An orange dwarf is a kind of star that emits slightly more energy and red dwarfs. There are many important facts that are still unknown about this planet, despite this there are also many assumptions made. Some of the most significant and important facts that are still unascertained are if there is liquid water, what the composition of the planet is (rocky compared to gas), if there is indeed life and what kind of life there is.
NASA, using over $600 million created the Kepler space observatory. Its goal was to find suitable exoplanets that could potentially have life. These planets are found in each star's habitable zone. A habitable zone, sometimes referred to as the 'Goldilocks zone', is "the range of distances from a where a planet's temperature allows liquid water oceans, critical for life on Earth" according to Howell (2015). When a planet is not in the Habitable zone, its water either freezes or evaporates into steam depending on if it is further or closer than the zone's limits (respectively). The exoplanet Kepler-442b is found it its star's habitable zone. This is the reason why it is considered to be one of the top contenders for finding life away from our Solar System. Kepler-442b distance from its sun, Kepler 442, changes many of its characteristics such as the possibility of life. Whether or not a planet is or is not in the habitable zone is essentially the same as 'Is there a possibility of life or not?'.
Suppose that, one day, a scientist finds a planet that is virtually the same as Earth, at however, it is found just as far as Kepler-442b at 1120ly from Earth.
