Space & Astronomy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - European astronomers have spotted what they say is the most Earth-like planet yet outside our solar system, with balmy temperatures that could support water and, potentially, life. They have not directly seen the planet, orbiting a red dwarf star called Gliese 581. But measurements of the star suggest that a planet not much larger than the Earth is pulling on it, the researchers say in a letter to the editor of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. "This one is the first one that is at the same time probablyrocky, with water, and in a zone close to the star where the water could exist in liquid form," said Stephane Udry of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland, who led the study.

"We have estimated that the mean temperature of this super-Earth lies between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius (32 to 104 degrees F), and water would thus be liquid." Most of the 200 or so planets that have been spotted outside this solar system have been gas giants like Jupiter. But this one is small. "Its radius should be only 1.5 times the Earth's radius, and models predict that the planet should be either rocky, like our Earth, or covered with oceans," Udrysaid in a telephone interview.It appears to have a mass five times that of Earth's. The research team includes scientists credited with the first widely accepted discovery of a planet outside our solar system, in 1995. Many teams are looking for planets circling other stars. They are especially looking for those similar to our own, planets that could support life. That means finding water.To view the rest of this article, please visit the source

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University researchers have found evidence to suggest that the sun could be emitting an unknown mystery particle.The scientists found that the decay rates of radioactive elements are changing, even elements with a supposedly constant decay rate. To try and explain this discrepency it has been suggested that a previouslyunknown particle is responsible.

When probing the deepest reaches of the Cosmos or magnifying our understanding of the quantum world, a whole host of mysteries present themselves. This is to be expected when pushing our knowledge of the Universe to the limit.

View: Full article | Source: Discovery

The largest known solar system beyound our own has been discovered around a sun-like star 127 light years away.Five planets have been confirmed in the system with evidence pointing towards the presence of two more. Dr Christophe Lovis summarised the find saying ""This remarkable discovery also highlights the fact that we are now entering a newera in exoplanet research: the study of complex planetary systems and not just of individual planets." The planetary system is believed to be the largest ever detected beyond the sun.

Astronomers have confirmed the presence of five planets and have tantalising evidence of two more.

View: Full article | Source: Telegraph

Bacteria placed outside the International Space Station was found to be still alive after 553 days in space.The discovery could help pave the way for life support systems based on using bacteria to recycle everything, it also suggests primitive life could have survived a journey through space on as asteroidor comet.

The bugs were put on the exterior of the space station to see how they would cope in the hostile conditions that exist above the Earth"s atmosphere. And when scientists inspected the microbes a year and a half later, they found many were still alive.

View: Full article | Source: BBCNews