Word: planetsized
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
More surprises are almost certain to follow if astronomers find more and more planets circling other stars. But while finding new planets of any sort is terrifically exciting, says Alan Boss, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, "the Holy Grail is to find an extrasolar planet that is...
Despite Goldin's caution about assuming the existence of Earthlike planets, few astronomers doubt they are out there. If other solar systems do contain Earthlike worlds, says NASA exobiologist Michael Meyer, at least some should fall into the "habitable zone"--the region, governed by a planet's distance from its...
Alien life of any sort would make biologists ecstatic, of course, but it is the prospect of intelligent life that fires most people's imagination. "That final step from life to intelligent life is probably the longest shot of all," observes Des Marais. Even so, the small band of astronomers...
The astronomers who are looking for planets, meanwhile, are sounding downright cocky. Butler says that he and Marcy are "close, real close" to finishing the analysis of their remaining 60 stars and that they would not be surprised to find two or more additional planets popping out of the data...
Philosophy is one thing, filling in the physical details is another. Although astronomers increasingly suspect that bio-friendly planets may be abundant in the universe, the chemical steps leading to life remain largely mysterious.