It's been said that there are seven people in the world that look exactly like you. Seven people that share your eye color, hair color, height, who even have a jawline, nose and chin that align so perfectly they could be your twin. Just the idea of one other person resembling your features probably feels a little outrageous, I know it does for me. But when you think about it, with a growing population of 7.3 billion, there's bound to be some combinations that tend to reappear.
Recently, scientists have found that there aren't just humans with such specific similarities, but also planets. One planet in particular, that has recently been discovered and is topping the charts as the most similar to Earth, may not be it's long lost twin, but they're getting close. If you find it hard to believe that there are around seven people that look like you, imagine the day when scientists find seven planets that could be just like Earth.
Kepler-452b, one of NASA's most recent discoveries, and the planet that has been called, "Earth's bigger, older cousin," is just the beginning to finding the equivalent to one of its seven lookalikes. While it is the most similar to Earth, one must keep in mind that the similarities aren't quite what they would be with humans. When finding a planet's "twin," the trick isn't to find why two planets go together but rather why they wouldn't belong with another. As the saying goes, "there are plenty of fish in the sea," and in this case, plenty of planets in the universe. So, if you don't find the perfect match right away, there are bound to be more out there. And that very well could be why NASA is calling this planet a cousin and not using the term of a closer family member.
Just as Earth has the sun, Kepler-452b has its own star and although its star is farther away than our sun is to the Earth, the star is brighter and allows for about the same amount of energy to reach the planet's surface. Scientists also believe that Kepler-452b has an atmosphere, and it may even be thicker than that of Earth's. To relate this back to finding your own twin, it would feel a little like finding your physical look alike, but realizing that your personalities couldn't make you any more different. Someone, or something's, physical appearance may be similar but feelings can make a world of difference.
While there is still so much we don't know about this new planet, there are so many general lessons to be learned just from the announcement of its discovery.
For starters, if you ever feel like you are the only person in this world who feels the way that you do, that's never the case. With probabilities like having seven people in the world that look like you and a planet in the universe that is similar to Earth, there's bound to be thousands of people, if not millions, who have felt what you're feeling and have fought the battle you're enduring.
Secondly, the old phrase that I mentioned earlier about their being more fish in the sea, well that's about as true as it gets. With a world as big as ours, there's no need to settle, there's no reason to stop pushing forward because there are endless possibilities.
And lastly, if you ever find yourself running out of inspiration, look to the stars and let them do they talking. Clear your mind of distractions, and search for the impossible, because reaching for the impossible is the only way to grab the possible.
