K2-18 b is an exoplanet that orbits the red dwarf star K2-18, about 120 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. It was found with NASA's Kepler spacecraft during its extended K2 mission and announced in 2015. The planet is somewhere between Earth and Neptune in size and is thought to have a thick atmosphere; it orbits within its star's habitable zone, where temperatures could allow liquid water. In 2019 observations with the Hubble Space Telescope detected water vapor in its atmosphere, and the James Webb Space Telescope later found carbon-bearing molecules including methane. Claims of possible biological signs have been disputed by other astronomers.
Before and after
- 23 July 2015Discovery of Kepler-452b
- 29 July 2015Creation of Windows 10
- 29 July 2015Release of Microsoft Edge
- 30 July 2015Release of Ethereum
- August 2015Discovery of K2-18 b
- 21 August 20152015 Thalys train attack
- 10 September 2015Homo naledi is announced from the Rising Star cave
- 24 September 20152015 Mina stampede
- from 30 September 2015 to 8 December 2024Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war
More in Universe & space
- 1 May 1949Discovery of Nereid
- 20 August 1977Launch of Voyager 2
- 16 June 1989Discovery of Proteus
- 23 July 1995Discovery of Comet Hale-Bopp
- 15 May 2005Discovery of Nix
- 10 September 2005Discovery of Dysnomia
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.