This makes 2!!!
A SECOND planet within the "habitable" zone of its star was discovered just the other day.
Back in April, I posted about a planet orbiting the star Gliese 581.
(http://el-ojo-malvado.livejournal.com/203041.html)
This planet was the first of its kind to be discovered - a planet that is within the so called "goldilocks zone"...not too close, or too far from its star to support life as we know it.
Well, just the other day a second planet was discovered that is in the same "zone". This one is orbiting the star 55 Cancri. Its likely a gas giant, but any hypothetical MOONS orbiting this planet could quite possibly have at least microbial life.
Both of these stars have more than one planet. Gliese 581 has at least 3. 55 Cancri has at least 5 (the only star we know of to have 5 planets!). There could be many more really interesting planetery systems everywhere.
I love this shit. This means that planets like this are very likely to be common. New discoveries will be made. And the more discover, the more likely there is life somewhere else.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2007/11/07/sciplanet107.xml
Back in April, I posted about a planet orbiting the star Gliese 581.
(http://el-ojo-malvado.livejournal.com/203041.html)
This planet was the first of its kind to be discovered - a planet that is within the so called "goldilocks zone"...not too close, or too far from its star to support life as we know it.
Well, just the other day a second planet was discovered that is in the same "zone". This one is orbiting the star 55 Cancri. Its likely a gas giant, but any hypothetical MOONS orbiting this planet could quite possibly have at least microbial life.
Both of these stars have more than one planet. Gliese 581 has at least 3. 55 Cancri has at least 5 (the only star we know of to have 5 planets!). There could be many more really interesting planetery systems everywhere.
I love this shit. This means that planets like this are very likely to be common. New discoveries will be made. And the more discover, the more likely there is life somewhere else.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2007/11/07/sciplanet107.xml