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ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?
Wednesday, 3 October 2012 | 18:17 | 0 comments
ARE WE ALONE IN THE
UNIVERSE?
The discovery includes three
‘super-Earth’ orbiting a single Sun- like star. The planets are less 30 times
the mass of Earth. All orbit very close to their stars. Hence, they are
consider too hot to support any kinds of larger life.
It was only in 2005 that the
first earth – sized
exoplanet was discovered. However, it was only in April 2007 that the first
earth – sized exoplanet was discovered in the so – called habitable zone. (The
habitable zone in the distance from a star that provides temperatures at which
liquid water is stable). More than 245 exoplanets have since been discovered.
The search for exoplanets is one of
the most exciting fields in astronomy. The discovery demonstrates that planets
keep popping up in unexpected places around the universe. It will answer the
question one day of whether we are alone in the universe.
The extrasolar planets using the HARPS instrument on the 3.4 meter telescope at
the European Southern Observatory in Chile. |