The Search For Earth-Like Planets




The search for Earth-like planets is reaching a fever-pitch. Does the evidence so far help shed light on the ancient question: Is the galaxy filled with life, or is Earth just a beautiful, lonely aberration? If things dont work out on this planet Or if our itch to explore becomes unbearable at some point in the future Astronomers have recently found out what kind of galactic real estate might be available to us. Well have to develop advanced transport to land there, 20 light years away. The question right now: is it worth the trip? If things don't work out on this planet... Or if our itch to explore becomes unbearable at some point in the future... Astronomers have recently found out what kind of galactic real estate might be available to us. We'll have to develop advanced transport to land there, 20 light years away.... But that's for later. The question right now: is it worth the trip? The destination is a star that you can't see with your naked eye, in the southern constellation Libra, called Gliese 581. Identified over 40 years ago by the German astronomer Wilhelm Gliese, it's a red dwarf with 31% of the Sun's mass... and only 1.3% of its luminosity. Until recently, the so-called M Stars like Gliese 581 flew below the radar of planet hunters. They give off so little energy that a planet would have to orbit dangerously close just to get enough heat. Now, these unlikely realms are beginning to show some promise... as their dim light yields to precision technologies <b>...</b>