TWO NEW PLANETS DISCOVERED

Internet UFO Group Media Archive

From:awalls@ieee.cas.uc.edu (Anthony Walls)
Title:TWO NEW PLANETS DISCOVERED
Source: New York Times
Date:January 19, 1996


SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS----

In a stunning discovery of new worlds far out in the universe two

California astronamers on wendsday reported the detection of two planets

orbiting sunlike stars.

The temperatures of the planets appear to be warm enough for water to

exist in liquid form, a condition conducive to chemical processes that

could , just possibly, be producing extraterreastrial life.

The two newly discovered extra-solar planets, considerably larger than

jupiter, accompany the stars 70 VIRGINIS, in the constellation Virgo, and

47 Ursae Majoris, in the Big Dipper, or Ursa Major. They are thirtyfive

lightyears away, close by cosmic standards. They are too small and dim to

be seen against the glare of thier parent stars, but their gravitational

presence has been definitely established.

The discovery of the planets, together woth another one found last

October, encourages scientists in their growing belief that the solar

system is anything but unique and that other planetary systems may be

fairly common. This, in turn is seen as raising the likelihood that life

exists elsewhere in the universe, perhaps even intelligent life.

The announcement made here at a meeting of the American Astronomical

Society, was greeted with enthusiasm and widespred endorsment by astronomers.

"We truly are at a dawn of a new era in astronomy ." said Dr. Alan P.

Boss, a theoretical astronomerat the Carngie institute in Washington. "WE

will be findingmany more planets in the next decade."

DR William J. Boruchi. an astonomer at the Ames Research Center in

Mountain View Calif., said: "Its almost like the second coming of Marco

Polo or Columbus. We're finding new worlds."