We are living in exciting scientific times:
Astronomers have announced that for the first time, they’ve detected the light of two planets hundreds of light years away. The scientists say the development paves the way for the discovery of earth-like planets outside our solar system.
Since 1995, astronomers have been able to detect planets beyond our solar system through indirect means, such as the wobble that the planets’ gravity exerts on nearby stars.
Scientists detected some 130 extrasolar planets this way. But now, with the development of more powerful telescopes, scientists are able to see the planets directly.
This literally opens up a whole new world…
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.