Earth-like planets may be found soon

U.S. experts say known planets outside of Earth's solar system, currently numbered at 277, could soon include smaller planets that are closer to Earth's size.

Most of the currently known "extrasolar" planets are gas giants similar to Jupiter and Saturn -- hundreds of times larger than Earth -- that are not believed to be capable of supporting life, but recent discoveries, including a planet with organic methane in its atmosphere, have raised hopes that more life-friendly plants may be found in the near future, The Washington Post reported Monday.

"This is an absolutely astounding time for this field," said Mark Swain of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, who reported the discovery of the methane-rich planet last week.

Sara Seager, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and expert on extrasolar planets, said technology advances could lead to finding Earth-like planets.

"We've already been able to detect planets with only five or 10 times the mass of the Earth," she said. "If the technology improves a bit, with another push, we'll find Earths."

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

Related stories:

'Astro-comb' helps search for Goldilocks planet
Harvard scientists have unveiled a new laser-measuring device that they say will provide a critical advance in the resolution of current planet-finding techniques, making the discovery of Earth-sized planets possible.
NASA's Webb Telescope sunshield preliminary design review complete
The tennis court-sized sunshield built by Northrop Grumman for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has completed its preliminary design review at the company’s Space Technology facility.
Water Vapor Detected in Protoplanetary Disks
Water is an essential ingredient for forming planets, yet has remained hidden from scientists searching for it in protoplanetary systems, the spinning disks of particles surrounding newly formed stars where planets are born. Now the detection of water vapor in the inner part of two extrasolar protoplanetary disks brings scientists one step closer to understanding water's role during terrestrial planet formation.
Spitzer Finds Organics and Water Where New Planets May Grow
Researchers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered large amounts of simple organic gases and water vapor in a possible planet-forming region around an infant star, along with evidence that these molecules were created there. They've also found water in the same zone around two other young stars.
NRL to design lunar telescope to see into the dark ages
A team of scientists and engineers led by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) will study how to design a telescope on the Moon for peering into the last unexplored epoch in the Universe’s history. NASA has announced that it will sponsor a series of studies focusing on next-generation space missions for astronomy. These studies will contribute to the Decadal Survey, an effort undertaken every 10 years by astronomers and physicists to help establish priorities for future research directions in astronomy and astrophysics. The upcoming Decadal Survey occurs over the next two years.
First advert to be broadcast into space
The campaign to broadcast the first ever advert into space is launched today (Friday March 7)- with University of Leicester space scientists playing a key part in the process.
Proposed astronomy missions selected for further study by NASA
NASA has awarded the University of Colorado at Boulder $1 million to lead the study of a space observatory to find Earth-like planets in distant solar systems and open the search for life outside our solar system.
Amazing minaturized 'SIDECAR' drives Webb telescope's signal
Many technologies have become so advanced that they've been miniaturized to take up less space and weigh less. That's what happened to detector controls and data conversion electronics on the James Webb Space Telescope being built by Northrop Grumman.

News discussion:

Space & Earth science news