VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Scientists meeting in Wyoming this week made the announcement of 50 new exoplanets, or worlds located outside our solar system. Astronomers with High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher or HARPS program made the discovery in
Chile. 16 of the planets are described as "super-Earths", which could be rocky or gassy.
Retired astronomer David Dodge says the planets are too far away for people to travel to. "Some of them are in what is known as the Goldilocks Zone, or the zone of habitability, the temperatures are right, but we have no knowledge about anything else about the planets, whether they have an atmosphere, what the atmosphere consists of, or if there's water."
He says it's only a matter of time until scientists find even more new planets. "As our telescopes get better, our spacecrafts get better, our technology gets better, and we're going to be seeing more. Of course the next big question is, 'do these planets fit the same category as the Earth with life on it?'"
NASA reports another major announcement is coming tomorrow from the Kepler mission.