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