super-earth-planets

In recent days it has been announced by team of astronomers from around the globe, that there’s a strong possibility of billions of ‘Super Earth’ like planets in our galaxy alone. So, what are the chances of life on other planets now!

The calculations behind this are based on the detections of super earths that we have already found around red dwarf stars in our Milky Way galaxy.

The team of astronomers use a 3.6m telescope known as the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher or Harps. Harps detects orbiting planets by detecting the twitch motion on parent stars, caused by the gravity of orbiting planets.

Recent observations with Harps has uncovered that a whopping 40% of red-dwarf stars found to date, have at least one super earth present in the habitable zone. The habitable zone  is the area which is at a distance from the star, where optimal conditions are granted in order to support life. Primariliy because water is in a liquid state.

Red Dwarfs are very common in our galaxy, and its estimated that there are about 160 billion present in the Milky Way, and about 40% of these have a super earth.

Red Dwarfs stars are much cooler than our own Sun. This means that the habitable zone is much closer to the star than we are with our Sun. As a result of this is its more likely that these planets will suffer more intense radiation from solar flares, which could effect the chances of life existing on the surface of these planets.

Scientists are already coming up with lots of ideas to find life on these planets, or at least ideas that give strong indicators that life could exist.

I believe its only a matter of time before we finally find evidence of life on other planets or indeed in our own solar system, with a strong possibility that this may occur in our lifetime. Or, maybe, just maybe, you might be woken one night from an intense light, emanating through your bedroom window and get to meet ET yourself.

ET-the-alien-extra-terrestrial

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