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03/05/2016

3potentiallyhabitableplanetsdiscoveredNATIONALTheHindu

TODAY'SPAPERNATIONAL

Paris,May3,2016

3potentiallyhabitableplanetsdiscovered
AFP
AninternationalteamofscientistssaidonMondaythattheyhaddiscoveredatrioofEarthlikeplanetsthatarethebestbetsofarforfinding
lifeoutsideoursolarsystem.
Thethreeorbitadwarfstaramere39lightyearsaway,andarelikelycomparableinsizeandtemperaturetoEarthandVenus,theyreported
inastudy,publishedinNature.
Thisisthefirstopportunitytofindchemicaltracesoflifeoutsideoursolarsystem,saidleadauthorMichaelGillon,anastrophysicistatthe
UniversityofLiegeinBelgium.
TheplanetshadthewinningcombinationofbeingsimilarinsizetoEarth,potentiallyhabitableandcloseenoughsotheiratmospheres
canbeanalysedwithcurrenttechnology,hesaid.
Mr.Gillonandcolleaguescalibrateda60centimetretelescopeinChile,knownasTRAPPIST,totrackseveraldozendwarfstarsneitherbig
norhotenoughtobevisiblewithopticaltelescopes.
TheyzeroedinonaparticularlypromisingonenowknownasTRAPPIST1aboutoneeighththesizeoftheSun,andsignificantlycooler.
Theastronomersnoticedthatitsinfraredsignalfadedslightlyatregularintervals,evidenceofobjectsinorbit.Analysisconfirmedtheywere
exoplanetsplanetsrevolvingaroundstarsoutsideoursolarsystem.
Theinnermosttwocircletheirdwarfstarevery1.5and2.4days.Themoredistantorbitofthethirdplanettakesbetweenfourand73days.
AFP
TheyaresimilarinsizetoEarthandcanbeanalysedwithcurrenttechnology

http://www.thehindu.com/todayspaper/tpnational/3potentiallyhabitableplanetsdiscovered/article8549051.ece

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