Further Reading

Friday, 29 October 2010

We are not alone: One in four stars 'may have Earth-like planets in orbit around them'

The Universe is teeming with planets capable of supporting alien life, according to a new study. After studying stars similar to the Sun, astronomers found that almost one in four could have small, rocky planets just like the Earth.
Many of these worlds may occupy the 'Goldilocks' zone - the region where conditions are neither too hot, nor too cold, for liquid water and possibly life. The findings mean that there could be tens of billions of planets like the Earth in our own galaxy alone - and trillions upon trillions of planet able to support life throughout the Universe. Scientists came to the conclusion after spending five years studying 166 Sun-like stars within 80 light years - or 470 trillion miles - from the Earth. (Daily Mail)