You have a new reason to share your Star Trek and Star Wars memorabilia on iTaggit! Space exploration has gone one step further, turning science fiction into a real possibility. NASA scientists have recently released a statement saying they have discovered a fifth planet orbiting a star outside of our own solar system. The significance of this discovery suggests that there are many solar systems in the universe that are packed with planets just like our own. The new planet is said to have a mass about 45 times larger than that of Earth's and may resemble Saturn, but it is relatively the same distance from its sun star, 55 Cancri, as we are from ours. This is the first time five planets have been found orbiting a solar system outside of our own; previously only four had been spotted. Time to collect those old astronomy charts from the attic or closet and see if yours includes any of these new stars. I know I'm holding on to mine that still has Pluto as a legitimate planet! You never know what it might be worth some day. They say 55 Cancri is 41 light-years away in the constellation Cancer, just in case you were curious about its location.
All sci-fi enthusiasts and collectors will love this next part: Life could conceivably live on the surface of a moon that might be orbiting this newly found planet. So far though, a moon would be too small for scientists to find using their current methods of detection. Intergalactic real estate may not be available yet, but it seems that a vacation home among the stars isn't that far away after all.
For the original article and more information on the findings, click here.
0 comments:
Post a Comment