“These planets are unlike anything in our solar system. They have endless oceans,” said lead author Lisa Kaltenegger of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and the CfA. “There may be life there, but could it be technology-based like ours? Life on these worlds would be under water with no easy access to metals, to electricity, or fire for metallurgy. Nonetheless, these worlds will still be beautiful, blue planets circling an orange star — and maybe life’s inventiveness to get to a technology stage will surprise us.” These two "Water World" planets orbit the star Kepler-62. “The good news is — the two would exhibit distinctly different colors and make our search for signatures of life easier on such planets in the near future,” he added. The discovery raises the intriguing possibility that some star in our galaxy might be circled by two Earth-like worlds — planets with oceans and continents, where technologically advanced life could develop. “Imagine looking through a telescope to see another world with life just a few million miles from your own. Or, having the capability to travel between them on a regular basis. I can’t think of a more powerful motivation to become a space-faring society,” said Sasselov. Kaltenegger and Sasselov’s research has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 12:30:10 +0000
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