Super-Earth Exoplanets , May Be Our Best Bet , For Finding Life .
The Conversation reports that astronomers
have been routinely discovering exoplanets
orbiting stars outside our own solar system.
This summer, teams at NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite found a number of interesting planets in their parent stars' habitable zones.
This summer, teams at NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite found a number of interesting planets in their parent stars' habitable zones.
Two of these exoplanets are 'super-Earths,' massive planets as much as 70% larger than Earth.
Current projections suggest that super-Earths are the most common type of exoplanet in the Milky Way, accounting for one third of all exoplanets.
Super-Earths possess a number of attributes
that make them even more habitable
than our normal-sized Earth.
Larger planets are more likely to have
more geological activity, which scientists
believe promotes biological evolution.
They also have thicker atmospheres that act
as an insulating blanket and keep an average
temperature around 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
Finally, most super-Earths orbit cool dwarf stars which are far older than our Sun, which means that life there would have had more time to develop.
Finally, most super-Earths orbit cool dwarf stars which are far older than our Sun, which means that life there would have had more time to develop.
The Conversation reports that the best chance for finding
life on a distant super-Earth will come with the next
generation of giant, ground-based telescopes.
Currently still under construction,
these telescopes are set to start collecting
data by the end of the decade.
Currently still under construction,
these telescopes are set to start collecting
data by the end of the decade