The discovery of the first alien planet with two suns — like the "Star Wars" world Tatooine — residing in its parent star’s habitable zone is good news for the search for life beyond Earth, scientists say.
The planet, known as Kepler-47c, is a gas giant and therefore probably not suitable for life as we know it. But its existence hints that smaller, rockier worlds may inhabit other two-star systems’ habitable zones —that just-right range of distances where liquid water can exist.
And that’s important, because there are a lot of binary systems out there, scientists say.
"Roughly half of the stars in the galaxy are in binary systems," study lead author Jerome Orosz, of San Diego State University, told SPACE.com. "I thought it would only be a matter of time before we found a system like Kepler-47 where a planet is in the habitable zone."
This illustration shows the orbits of the two alien planets circling two stars of Kepler-47, and the orbits of our own solar system planets for comparison.
The Kepler-47 system, whose discovery was announced Tuesday (Aug. 28), dwells about 5,000 light-years away, in the constellation Cygnus (The Swan). It is a close binary system, with two stars orbiting near each other at its center. Around these stars whirl two planets known as Kepler-47b and Kepler-47c.
They make Kepler-47 the first system seen with multiple worlds circling a pair of stars.
"If single stars and close binary stars can host planetary systems with an equal probability — that is not at all clear at the moment — then it would follow that life could be just as common on circumbinary planets as on planets with single stars," Orosz said.
"Stockholm’s not burning" 2013 05 25 Video here: ctvnews.com
With international media swooping on the Stockholm riots from every angle, The Local’s Oliver Gee explains why Stockholm’s not burning, and how the story has been blown out of proportion.
Day five into the Stockholm riots and the world, as viewed from our Stockholm office, has gone crazy. The UK and the US have issued travel warnings for ...
Britain’s MI5 Connection to Woolwich Slasher Michael Adebolajo 2013 05 25
What a difference a day makes…
People are still in a state of shock and disbelief following a recent attack branded as a ‘terrorist” event by the UK media establishment and echoed in political corridors. It seemed so random…
Aside form appearing random, the brutal Woolwich attack this past week was one of the most bizarre and strangest of its kind yet, ...
Somali reporter: Swedish journalists are more dangerous than al-Shabab 2013 05 25 This article is translated by google and slightly improved for clarification.
This short story (the tip of the iceberg) is a great example of the media climate in Sweden and the lack of proper Journalism. An extremely dangerous one sided view is constantly presented by the government subsidized media.
Swedish journalists and their lies are more dangerous than the cruel Somali terrorist ...
Germany’s Merkel shrugs aside new book about communist-era past, says she never hid anything 2013 05 25
Chancellor Angela Merkel has shrugged aside a book that suggests she may have been closer to East Germany’s communist system than previously thought, saying she’s never hidden anything.
The 58-year-old Merkel grew up in East Germany and entered politics as communism crumbled in 1989. It’s long been known that, like many, she joined the communist youth organization. She has said she ...
‘Lack of public debate on immigration caused Stockholm riots’ 2013 05 25
Mishra Mrutyuanjai raises some points that we discussed with Mikael Jalving about in our Red Ice Radio program, in January earlier this year.
Sweden should put its political correctness aside and start an open debate on immigration as it’s the only way to avoid a repeat of the Stockholm riots, Mishra Mrutyuanjai, Swedish Democrats movement member, told RT.
Stockholm is reeling as ...
"Stockholm’s not burning"
Britain’s MI5 Connection to Woolwich Slasher Michael Adebolajo
Somali reporter: Swedish journalists are more dangerous than al-Shabab
Germany’s Merkel shrugs aside new book about communist-era past, says she never hid anything
‘Lack of public debate on immigration caused Stockholm riots’