Feb 17, 2012
— read in fullCould new planets have alien life?
28 new planets have been found beyond our solar system – but what does this tell us about the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe?
New planets have been discovered outside of our solar system. Jason Wright, of the University of California, told fellow astronomers this week that his team had discovered 28 new planets, along with seven brown dwarfs – failed stars which are much bigger than planets.
Wright explains that their success is down to improvements in technology, enabling them to perform more detailed calculations. ‘Planet hunting is getting much more sophisticated’, he explained, ‘in the last year our teams have increased the number of known planets by 12%.’
So what does this mean for astronomers? Well, certain searches will become even more interesting. A British team has recently discovered water – the most important component for life – on a planet outside our solar system. The planet, which circles a star only 64 light years away from our sun, is slightly larger than Jupiter.
Astronomers led by Giovanna Tinetti of University College London are very excited about the discovery. ‘The fact that we can see water on an extra-solar planet makes us think we might be able to use the same technique to spot water on other habitable planets that are more life-friendly and more similar to Earth," Tinetti said.
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