They discovered three new planets that promote the search for life beyond Earth
The discovery of three planets orbiting a small faint visible star enhances the possibility of finding life beyond Earth, astronomers said yesterday.
The planets, having the size of Earth, orbiting the star in the constellation of Aquarius, relatively close to Earth - 40 light years from it - and just offering the right amount of heat to be liquid water on their surface, a factor that scientists believe are essential for supporting life.
The discovery is the first time we have found planets orbiting a common star type, which is known as a super-cool dwarf, the scientists said.
"If we wanted to find life elsewhere in the universe, the first place you will be stared at it," said Michael Gill of the University of Liege in Belgium, who led the research published in the journal Nature.
The discovery was made using the telescope TRAPPIST (Small Telescope of transiting planets and planetesimals, Europe) at the La Silla observatory in Chile.
The discovery of three planets orbiting a small faint visible star enhances the possibility of finding life beyond Earth, astronomers said yesterday.
The planets, having the size of Earth, orbiting the star in the constellation of Aquarius, relatively close to Earth - 40 light years from it - and just offering the right amount of heat to be liquid water on their surface, a factor that scientists believe are essential for supporting life.
The discovery is the first time we have found planets orbiting a common star type, which is known as a super-cool dwarf, the scientists said.
"If we wanted to find life elsewhere in the universe, the first place you will be stared at it," said Michael Gill of the University of Liege in Belgium, who led the research published in the journal Nature.
The discovery was made using the telescope TRAPPIST (Small Telescope of transiting planets and planetesimals, Europe) at the La Silla observatory in Chile.
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