New Planet Points the Way for ET Hunters

In a solar system far, far away, around a small and dim star, orbits a small planet, just three times the size of Earth. The astronomers who discovered the small planet don't know much else about it yet, but the basics are enough to get them excited. Extraterrestrial life is thought to have the best chance of surviving on planets with a similar mass to that of Earth, orbiting small stars. This "exoplanet," which goes by the romantic name MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb, is the second smallest planet ever spotted outside our solar system. The very smallest planet yet discovered is believed to be sterile, as it orbits a neutron star that emits blasts of radiation. Lead astronomer David Bennett of the University of Notre Dame cautioned that the newly discovered planet is not an ideal candidate for extraterrestrial life. The star it orbits appears so small and dim that it's likely a ...