Extra-solar Planets
By Pulsar | Thu 19th Jun 2008
In the last couple of days there has been an exciting press release by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in the area of extra-solar planet study. We have known about Jupiter size planets for over 10 years, but this discovery is of 3 super-earths (2 to 10 times larger than Earth) orbiting a single star.Their HARPS instrument has really started to make it look likely that there are many more extra-solar planets out there than we had previously thought. Although we can not detect Earth size planets yet this discovery would suggest that with the amount of extra-solar planets that do exist it is surely certain that other Earth-like planets are out there and are potentially numerous.
How long before the discovery of an Earth like planet within the 'habitable zone' of a star that satisfies our rather narrow ideas for requirements for life to exist? Before the end of the decade is surely a possibility?
While it may be a while before we are socializing with the cool guys from across the galaxy i think this is a very important area of study - it almost gives credibility to the space program. It provides a real long term objective to the exploration of space and provides actual targets for us to investigate. It will make the possibility of other life in the universe more real when we know for a FACT that there are many other places for other life forms to have developed.
The long term goal of space exploration is surely to reach these targets and maybe, just maybe meet ET.
Image Credit: ESO Press Release Photo 19a/08 (16 June 2008)