Living on an Alien Planet: Exoplanet Kepler-186f (Infographic)

Chart speculates about conditions on Kepler-186f, a planet of another star.

At last humans are able to make educated guesses about what living on alien worlds might be like. (Image credit: By Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)

Located 500 light-years from Earth, Kepler-186f was the first Earth-sized planet found to be orbiting within its star’s habitable zone, the area where water can be liquid on a planet’s surface.

Full Story: What Would It Be Like to Live on Alien Planet Kepler-186f?

Kepler-186f orbits its star at about one-third the distance of the Earth from the sun, but the alien star has only about half the size and mass of the Earth's sun.

Nothing is known yet about the atmosphere and surface conditions on Kepler-186f. It is possible that there could be liquid water on the surface, and that gravity there could be similar to that of Earth's.

Karl's association with Space.com goes back to 2000, when he was hired to produce interactive Flash graphics. From 2010 to 2016, Karl worked as an infographics specialist across all editorial properties of Purch (formerly known as TechMediaNetwork). Before joining Space.com, Karl spent 11 years at the New York headquarters of The Associated Press, creating news graphics for use around the world in newspapers and on the web. He has a degree in graphic design from Louisiana State University and now works as a freelance graphic designer in New York City.