|
 |
 advertisement
| |
|
|
|
|
|
SETI Scientists Buoyed by Planet Discovery
By Kenneth Silber
Staff Writer
posted: 01:26 pm ET
17 November 1999
|
seti_nextThe observation earlier this month of a planet crossing in front of star HD 209458 will affect Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) projects in several ways. For one thing, it ensures the star will be a priority target in determining where to listen for possible signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. "Whenever a star is known to have planets, it moves to the head of the class," says Seth Shostak, an astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. More broadly, the observation strengthens the assumption, which underlies much SETI research, that numerous planets exist in the galaxy. The sighting is the "ultimate confirmation that there really are planets," says Dan Werthimer, an astronomer who directs a SETI project at the University of California at Berkeley. Previous reports of planets were based on indirect evidence, he notes. "We just saw stars wiggle." The particular planet observed at HD 209458 is thought unlikely to be an abode for life, because it is a giant gas planet orbiting close to its star and thus subject to extreme heat. However, a number of the previously reported planets orbit at distances similar to that between Earth and sun. Moreover, star systems that have giant gas planets may also have smaller planets and moons that are extremely difficult to detect with current technology. "The next step that would kick us into higher gear would be the detection of Earth-sized planets," says Shostak. (Painting by Lynette Cook reprinted with permission.)
|
|
|
|
|
