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NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered two new planetary systems that include three super-Earth-size planets in the “habitable zone,” the range of distance from a star where the surface temperature of an orbiting planet might be suitable for liquid water.
The two planetary systems are Kepler-62 and Kepler-69.
The Kepler-62 system has five planets; 62b, 62c, 62d, 62e and 62f.
The Kepler-69 system has two planets; 69b and 69c. Kepler-62e, 62f and 69c are the habitable-zone “super Earths.”
“The discovery of these rocky planets in the habitable zone brings us a bit closer to finding a place like home,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “It is only a matter of time before we know if the galaxy is home to a multitude of planets like Earth, or if we are a rarity.”
The planets of the Kepler-62 system orbit a star classified as a K2 dwarf, measuring just two-thirds the size of the sun and only one-fifth as bright.
At seven billion years old, the star is somewhat older than the sun. It is about 1,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra.
Kepler-62f is only 40 percent larger than Earth, making it the exoplanet closest to the size of our planet known in the habitable zone of another star. Kepler-62f is likely to have a rocky composition. Kepler-62e, orbits on the inner edge of the habitable zone and is roughly 60 percent larger than Earth.
The planets of the Kepler-69 orbit a star in the same class as our sun, called G-type. It is 93 percent the size of the sun and 80 percent as luminous and is located approximately 2,700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.
Kepler-69c is 70 percent larger than the size of Earth. Astronomers are uncertain about the composition of Kepler-69c, but its orbit of 242 days around a sun-like star resembles that of our neighboring planet Venus.
“We only know of one star that hosts a planet with life, the sun. Finding a planet in the habitable zone around a star like our sun is a significant milestone toward finding truly Earth-like planets,” said Thomas Barclay, Kepler scientist at the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, and lead author of the Kepler-69 system discovery published in the Astrophysical Journal.
“Kepler has brought a resurgence of astronomical discoveries and we are making excellent progress toward determining if planets like ours are the exception or the rule,” added William Borucki, Kepler science principal investigator at NASA’s Ames and lead author of the Kepler-62 system paper in Science.
Scientists do not know whether life could exist on the newfound planets, but their discovery signals we are another step closer to finding a world similar to Earth around a star like our sun.
Said Grunsfeld, “The Kepler spacecraft has certainly turned out to be a rock star of science.”
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A vehicle stop conducted Thursday night by a Lake County Sheriff’s patrol deputy has resulted in three arrests and the seizure of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.
Daniel Gomez, 23, and Rafael Garza, 22, both of Los Angeles, and 52-year-old Benjamin Bruce Perry of Lakeport were arrested, according to Lt. Steve Brooks.
Brooks said that at 8:15 p.m. Thursday a deputy was on patrol in the area of Scotts Valley Road in Lakeport when he observed a vehicle traveling ahead of him cross over the marked center line into the oncoming lane, then drift back to the fog line on three occasions, Brooks said.
Based on the driving pattern the deputy conducted an enforcement stop on the vehicle and contacted the driver, identified as Gomez, who Brooks said did not have a driver’s license. The deputy also contacted Garza and Perry, who were passengers in the vehicle.
When the deputy made contact with the occupants of the vehicle, he could smell the strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle, Brooks said. Gomez explained that he had a small amount of marijuana inside the vehicle.
During a search of the vehicle the deputy located approximately two ounces of methamphetamine, approximately one gram of cocaine and 11.9 grams of marijuana. Brooks said a digital scale and packaging materials were also located inside the vehicle.
Gomez and Garza were arrested for possession of a controlled substance, transportation of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for sales and transportation and sales of cocaine. Perry was arrested for an outstanding warrant, Brooks said.
All three subjects were transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said. The vehicle involved was also towed.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A local couple has shared some of their good fortune with Northshore Fire Protection District, making it possible for the district to purchase new life-saving equipment first put to use last week.
Last September, Tony Velasquez of Clearlake Oaks, a retired local postmaster, won $14 million in the California State Lottery, as Lake County News has reported.
Velasquez and wife, Joy, quickly got to work looking for ways to help their community.
They approached Northshore Fire late last year about making a donation to purchase two new heart monitors for the district’s Lucerne and Clearlake Oaks stations, according to Chrissy Pittman, a Northshore Fire firefighter/paramedic.
Pittman said the district immediately set up a meeting with its local sales representative from Zoll Medical to preview their newest available monitor defibrillators for the field. The next day they had a demonstration of the two models that were available for field use and decided to purchase two of the X Series monitors, which is the newest model.
“The X Series was originally developed for air-medical use and is built to be durable and work well under conditions that we work in, in addition being used on bumpy roads and in less than ideal working conditions such as low light,” Pittman said.
She said they received the new monitors the last week of March and had an in-service training on April 2, with the devices going into service later that day.
Pittman said the district received $57,000 to purchase the two new monitors. The actual purchase price was over $69,000 but they were able to trade in two of their older heart monitors, one being very old and outdated.
The new monitors have the ability to transmit, with the touch of a button, a full 12-lead EKG to both of the base hospitals and to any facility where they may fly patients, Pittman said.
They had this technology with their five-year-old heart monitors but the process was cumbersome and completely dependent on the ability to receive a full cell phone signal for several minutes, which is not always possible in many areas of the district, Pittman said. The new technology requires only to receive a short time of WiFi signal, enough to send a text message, and the information can be sent.
Another new feature of these new monitors is the capability to monitor carbon monoxide levels by applying a simple probe to the end of a finger. This technology has previously been much too expensive for field use, she said.
Pittman said the district plans to require that each of its firefighters who has been working a fire be monitored for carbon monoxide poisoning while rehabbing during the incident and before leaving the scene to return to their stations.
“Every year firefighters die after returned to their station from a working structure fire due to carbon monoxide poisoning,” she said. “They may have symptoms easily dismissed as fatigue from working hard at the fire, go to bed for the evening and never wake up. Now, something simple and noninvasive can prevent such tragedies, no only with firefighters and first-responders, but also fire victims who may have no burn injuries and feel like they don't need to go to the hospital but really need treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Pittman said the devices also have a built-in CPR feedback feature that gives on-screen feedback to the person doing CPR. It shows whether they are achieving appropriate rate and depth of compressions and offers the ability to see not only the compressions on the EKG but also the baseline of what the heart is actually doing on its own without stopping CPR to check.
On April 10, the district used the new monitor from the Lucerne station to diagnose a heart attack in a patient in Nice, Pittman said.
As a result, paramedics were able to contact Sutter Lakeside with their findings, consult with the emergency room, and agreed to fly the patient directly from the field to St. Helena main campus to their cath lab. Pittman said it helped them get the patient from the field to the cath lab in less than an hour.
“Time is muscle in the case of the heart and the faster the patient reaches definitive care, the less damage to the heart and the better the outcome,” she said. “We cannot be more excited about what we are able to offer our patients.”
Pittman said the district is very grateful to the Velasquez family for their generosity.
“We cannot thank them enough for what they have given to the community,” she said. “Approximately 85 percent of our calls are medical related, and we use the heart monitor on at least 80 percent of those calls, so its an invaluable piece of life-saving equipment.”
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Friends of a Lake County family whose son is beginning the bone marrow transplant process this week are finalizing preparations for a Saturday fundraiser on the child’s behalf.
The fundraiser and bone marrow donor drive in honor of 6-month-old Ryland Joseph will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at Lake County Fire Protection District’s Station 70, 14815 Olympic Drive in Clearlake.
In February the baby boy’s parents, Rodd and Kellie Joseph, received the news that their son has Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, a rare disorder primarily affecting boys, as Lake County News has reported.
A bone marrow transplant is the only hope for a cure in severe Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome cases like Ryland’s. Without it, his parents said he is not expected to live beyond age 8, as the disease makes such children susceptible to autoimmune deficiencies, leukemia and lymphoma.
This week, Ryland was admitted to the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center – a leading center for pediatric bone marrow surgeries.
His father said the transplant is to take place on May 1, with Ryland likely will be in the hospital for as long as 12 weeks.
The Josephs said Ryland’s older sister will be his marrow donor. While it’s not common for siblings to be donors, in this case the two children were found to be matches.
Initial procedures are under way to prepare the little boy for the process ahead. His father said he has received a blood platelet transfusion, had a central venous catheter put in place in his chest on Thursday and he will begin chemotherapy on Friday to prepare him to accept his sister’s marrow.
He’s been in a lot of pain, but a picture his parents posted of him on Facebook Thursday night – which can be seen above – showed him looking more cheerful, with the posts reporting he was feeling better.
The Saturday fundraiser will include include a raffle and other activities to raise money to help defray costs of the expensive treatment.
Rodd Joseph said he will be in attendance to thank the community for its support. Wife Kellie will stay in San Francisco at Ryland’s side.
For those who can’t attend but would like to help the family, visit any Mendo Lake Credit Union branch and make a deposit to The Ryland Robert Joseph Be The Match Fund account, 7XXX2080.
While Ryland now has a match, his parents are advocating for more people to join Be the Match, the bone marrow registry, to help the thousands across the nation that need the lifesaving surgery.
At the Saturday event community members can be screened to join; they also can join online at www.bethematch.org .
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The Harbor on Main will host a youth leadership summit on Saturday, May 11.
The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at High Valley Ranch in Clearlake Oaks.
There will be fun activities – including a ropes course and swimming – and free food for youth ages 13 through 17.
Space is limited. To register, contact Jolene Chappel at 707-994-5486 or
COBB, Calif. – A 3.0-magnitude quake was reported in the Cobb area Wednesday evening.
The quake occurred at 7:04 p.m., according to the US Geological Survey.
It was measured at a depth of 1.8 miles and was centered four miles west of Cobb and 13 miles southwest of Clearlake, the survey reported.
A 3.5-magnitude quake was reported two miles south southwest of Cobb on Monday evening, as Lake County News has reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at