Space & Astronomy

Tau Ceti may be home to Earth-like world

By T.K. Randall
December 26, 2012 ·  35 comments

Image Credit: NASA The Tau Ceti system is only 12 light years away, a veritable small step in the vast scale of the cosmos. In 1960, astronomer Frank Drake was so convinced that Tau Ceti was the best place to look for signs of an extraterrestrial civilization that he made it his first target. Now thanks to new planet-hunting methods astronomers believe that the Tau Ceti system could be home to at least five planets, including one that would be within the star's "Goldilocks zone" in which liquid water could exist.

The discovery was made through the examination of more than 6,000 observations of Tau Ceti which revealed that the star's motion indicated the presence of multiple planetary bodies. "It's certainly very tantalising evidence for potentially a very exciting planetary system," said astronomer Professor Chris Tinney.[!gad]The Tau Ceti system is only 12 light years away, a veritable small step in the vast scale of the cosmos. In 1960, astronomer Frank Drake was so convinced that Tau Ceti was the best place to look for signs of an extraterrestrial civilization that he made it his first target. Now thanks to new planet-hunting methods astronomers believe that the Tau Ceti system could be home to at least five planets, including one that would be within the star's "Goldilocks zone" in which liquid water could exist.

The discovery was made through the examination of more than 6,000 observations of Tau Ceti which revealed that the star's motion indicated the presence of multiple planetary bodies. "It's certainly very tantalising evidence for potentially a very exciting planetary system," said astronomer Professor Chris Tinney.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald | Comments (35)

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