http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/ The Search for Another Earth is a multimedia-rich news and information hub covering NASA's search for extrasolar planets. en-us Copyright 2008 Randal.K.Jackson@jpl.nasa.gov (Randal K. Jackson) clawshe@sdsio.jpl.nasa.gov (Cecelia Lawshe) http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/planetHunters/anglingAliens.cfm <p><a href="http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/planetHunters/anglingAliens.cfm"><img src="http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/images/RobertPeters-100-75.jpg" border="0" width="100" height="75" align="left" alt="Angling for extraterrestrials. Robert Peters helps track down Earthlike worlds." /></a> As an avid fly fisherman and geocaching enthusiast, Robert Peters is a natural hunter, which makes him the perfect person to work on technology to help find Earthlike planets.</p><br clear="all"/> Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/planetHunters/anglingAliens.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/hotShots.cfm <p><a href="http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/hotShots.cfm"><img src="http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/images/hotShots-100-75.jpg" border="0" width="100" height="75" align="left" alt="Hot shots. Very first optical exoplanet pictures!" /></a> It's been a banner day for planet hunters, as two separate projects have announced the first ever photos of planets orbiting stars other than our own.</p><br clear="all"/> Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/hotShots.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/milestones_show/slide1.html <p><a href="http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/milestones_show/slide1.html"><img src="http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/images/slideShowMilestones-100-75.jpg" border="0" width="100" height="75" align="left" alt="Fantastic journey. Slideshow of exoplanet milestones." /></a> Slideshow of exoplanet milestones.</p><br clear="all"/> Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/milestones_show/slide1.html http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/seager.cfm <p><a href="http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/seager.cfm"><img src="http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/images/seager-100-75.jpg" border="0" width="100" height="75" align="left" alt="On a quest for astronomy's holy grail" /></a> From her groundbreaking work on the detection of exoplanet atmospheres to her innovative theories about life on other worlds, Seager has been a pioneer in the vast and unknown world of exoplanets.</p><br clear="all"/> Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/seager.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/AnnDruyan.cfm NASA has announced new Carl Sagan Fellowships for the study of extraterrestrial worlds and the life they might sustain -- a scientific pursuit pioneered by Sagan decades ago. Sagan was an astronomer, a highly successful author of science books and a co-author and presenter of the acclaimed PBS Cosmos television series. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/AnnDruyan.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/oklo.cfm Thanks to a growing Internet community of exoplanet enthusiasts, some of the latest discoveries are being made and confirmed by amateurs - people who planet-hunt in their spare time and with their own telescopes. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/oklo.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/300Beyond.cfm Just 13 years after the discovery of the first planet orbiting a sun-like star, scientists have found more than 300 exoplanets, from char-broiled "hot Jupiters" that orbit their stars in a matter of days, to planets closer in size and composition to our own. Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/300Beyond.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/planetHunters/WebsterCash.cfm Webster Cash's passion for space began when he saw his first planetarium show as a child. Now, as the principal investigator for one of NASA's future exoplanet mission proposals, Cash is on the cutting edge of ideas that could help change our perception of the universe. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/planetHunters/WebsterCash.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/marvels.cfm New survey may produce bonanza of new worlds. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/marvels.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/enceladus_20080311/enceladus.html Take a virtual tour of Enceladus. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/enceladus_20080311/enceladus.html http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/doubleVision.cfm The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) on Mount Graham, Ariz., has taken celestial images using its twin side-by-side, 8.4-meter (27.6-foot) primary mirrors together, achieving first "binocular" light. Thu, 6 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/doubleVision.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nextGeneration.cfm The Big Picture Six missions designed to hunt for planets orbiting other stars (exoplanets) are among a list of ideas that teams selected by NASA will study for the next generation of astronomy and astrophysics missions. Tue, 4 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nextGeneration.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/kepler2008.cfm NASA's first mission specifically designed to look for Earth-size planets orbiting other stars is on track for a launch in February 2009, said Kepler Deputy Project Manager Jim Fanson. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/kepler2008.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/planetHuntingNewYear.cfm Astronomers have rung in the new year with several new exoplanet discoveries and observations. These latest announcements build upon the breakneck pace of last year, when 62 new planets were found, bringing the total planet count to 271. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/planetHuntingNewYear.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/planetHunters/RachelAkeson.cfm You could say that science runs in Rachel Akeson's family. The daughter of two scientists, she knew she was going to be an astronomer by the time she was a third-grader. Now, in addition to having her hands full with her own young children, Akeson is studying young stars as they develop their own planetary families. Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/planetHunters/RachelAkeson.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/lyotNews.cfm Although more than 250 planets are known to orbit other stars, so far no one has been able to get a good look at any of them. That's largely because a star's glare is millions of times brighter than a planet, so trying to see a planet next to a star is akin to trying to spot a firefly next to a spotlight, from thousands of miles away. But it's a problem Oppenheimer and his colleagues at the American Museum of Natural History in New York hope to solve with a new instrument called the Lyot Project. Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/lyotNews.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/superwasp.cfm A team of planet-hunters based in the United Kingdom has announced the discovery of three new exoplanets. The astronomers, who are part of the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) project, observed the distant planets as they orbited in front of their host stars, a phenomenon known as transiting. Mon, 5 Nov 2007 01:37:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/superwasp.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsBriefs.cfm#dyingStar An international team of astronomers has discovered the first planet orbiting a nearly dead star - offering us a glimpse into the Earth's future. Wed, 12 Sep 2007 01:37:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsBriefs.cfm#dyingStar http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsBriefs.cfm#cluesSolarSystem Astronomers from Penn State University recently got a glimpse of our solar system's future when they discovered a massive planet circling a bloated, dying red giant star. Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:37:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsBriefs.cfm#cluesSolarSystem http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/tres4.cfm An international team of astronomers with the Trans-atlantic Exoplanet Survey has announced the discovery of TrES-4, a new extrasolar planet in the constellation of Hercules. Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:37:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/tres4.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/telescopePlanetHunting.cfm Astronomers in Spain have taken their first test drive of the newest and biggest tool in planet-hunting: the Gran Telescopio Canarias. Thu, 02 Aug 2007 10:48:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/telescopePlanetHunting.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/DrDavidImel.cfm "I just do it for the pictures," laughs Dr. David Imel as he points to the myriad posters of stars and galaxies hanging from the walls in his office at Caltech. But the picture Imel wants to see most doesn't exist yet - a pale blue dot orbiting a distant star. Another Earth. Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:50:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/DrDavidImel.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/intriguing_launch_page.cfm PlanetQuest asked a number of leading planet hunters to name their most intriguing stars for 2007. Here are their top 10 choices. Thu, 07 Jun 2007 09:21:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/intriguing_launch_page.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/Gl436.cfm The race to find planets beyond our solar system heated up more than ever during the month of May, when astronomers announced 32 previously unknown planets orbiting nearby stars. The new findings increase the number of known "exoplanets" to 231. Wed, 06 Jun 2007 11:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/Gl436.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/planetVulcan.cfm Astronomers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have concluded that the SIM PlanetQuest mission would be able to detect an Earth-like planet around 40 Eridani, a star familiar to "Star Trek" fans as the location of planet Vulcan. Thu, 10 May 2007 08:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/planetVulcan.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/superEarth.cfm European astronomers this week announced the discovery of a potentially habitable planet about 50 percent larger than Earth, orbiting a star very different from our sun. Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:30:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/superEarth.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/harps4NewPlanets.cfm Two teams of astronomers have announced the discovery of four gas-giant planets around other stars, bringing the total number of known extrasolar planets to 204. Tue, 27 Mar 2007 11:29:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/harps4NewPlanets.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/exhibitShowcases.cfm Pioneering instruments that illustrate key techniques in the search for planets orbiting other stars are on public display this spring at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:21:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/exhibitShowcases.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/pqKiosk.cfm An out-of-this-world exhibit has landed smack in the middle of downtown Los Angeles - in a library, of all places. Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:21:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/pqKiosk.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/bethBiller.cfm Beth A. Biller overcame her fear of math to pursue her career as a serious astronomer. Her research has helped produce some of the sharpest images of extrasolar worlds ever obtained. Mon, 05 Feb 2007 10:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/bethBiller.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TitanFiles/titanFlash12.html Once shrouded in mystery, Saturn's moon Titan has been revealed as the most Earthlike place in our solar system. Find out how the exploration of Titan is helping scientists plan their searches for habitable planets around other stars. (Requires Flash 8) Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:30:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TitanFiles/titanFlash12.html http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/collision.cfm Scientists plan to pin down the date of a galactic collision billions of years in our future by first reaching back to the Big Bang, a feat that will be made possible by the extreme precision of NASA's planned SIM PlanetQuest mission. Thu, 4 Jan 2007 11:15:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/collision.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/corotMission.cfm The first space mission specifically designed to search for planets around other stars is scheduled for launch on December 27. Tue, 14 Nov 2006 11:15:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/corotMission.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/mercuryTransit.cfm On Wednesday, November 8, the planet Mercury will pass between Earth and the sun, covering part of the sun's disc and demonstrating the method that NASA's Kepler mission will use to find planets around other stars. Mon, 06 Nov 2006 11:15:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/mercuryTransit.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/wesTraub.cfm Answering that question is just the first step in NASA's long-range quest to look for life around stars beyond our solar system, according to Dr. Wes Traub. And to answer it, he says, we have to go into space. Wed, 11 Oct 2006 11:15:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/wesTraub.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/TrES2_Transit.cfm A rare planet circling a star 500 light-years away has been spotted by astronomers using a telescope whose development was funded by NASA. The discovery provides a new target that can be followed up with observations by amateur astronomers, as well as by future planet-finding space missions. Tue, 12 Sep 2006 09:15:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/TrES2_Transit.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/pollux.cfm If you've ever looked up on a clear winter night, you've probably seen it: Pollux, also known as Beta Geminorum, one of the brightest and most familiar stars in the night sky. And now, scientists have discovered that it harbors a secret. Fri, 08 Sep 2006 09:15:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/pollux.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/binocularPlanetFinder.cfm The second of two primary mirrors has been mounted inside the Large Binocular Telescope, which will study the formation of solar systems and will be capable of directly detecting giant planets around other stars. Tue, 08 Aug 2006 02:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/binocularPlanetFinder.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/einstein.cfm This gravitational lens effect, predicted by Albert Einstein, will be used by NASA's SIM PlanetQuest space telescope to make the first real "sightings" of dark matter and other mysterious stuff in the galaxy. Mon, 08 May 2006 09:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/einstein.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/planetMarch.cfm The current month already has brought four new discoveries of planets beyond our solar system - including a new type of rocky, frozen world dubbed a "super-Earth." Mon, 20 Mar 2006 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/planetMarch.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/enceladus.cfm Until recently, Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus was thought to be cold and dead. But stunning images obtained by NASA's Cassini mission show icy jets and towering plumes erupting from the moon's south pole, and mission scientists said Thursday they have evidence that liquid water may be the source. Thu, 09 Mar 2006 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/enceladus.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/sim_linkeToGalaxy.cfm How big is our galaxy? Where, exactly, are we located? Astronomers using a future, ultra-precise space telescope hope to answer these and other fundamental questions, laying the foundation for a real-life linke to the galaxy. Tue, 14 Feb 2006 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/sim_linkeToGalaxy.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/rocky_planet.cfm Using a relatively new planet-hunting technique that can spot worlds one-tenth the mass of our own, researchers have discovered a potentially rocky, icy body that may be the smallest planet yet found orbiting a star outside our solar system. Wed, 25 Jan 2006 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/rocky_planet.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/multipleSuns.cfm In the most comprehensive survey of its kind, Georgia State University astronomers have found that about one in five known extrasolar planetary systems include more than one sun. Tue, 17 Jan 2006 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/multipleSuns.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/robert_ligon.cfm Robert Ligon is an engineer, not an astronaut. Nonetheless, his work takes place on an otherworldly landscape miles above sea level, where the air is thin and clear. He is part of a team that is pushing the technology envelope to aid in NASA's search for new worlds. Fri, 16 Dec 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/robert_ligon.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/2NewPlanets.cfm European astronomers have announced the discovery of two new extrasolar planets, including a giant and one of the smallest ever found. The new discoveries bring the total number of known extrasolar planets to 157. Mon, 05 Dec 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/2NewPlanets.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/keck_tour_launch_page.cfm Take a 360 degree virtual tour of the W.M. Keck Observatory, home of the world's foremost planet-finding telescopes. The observatory, located atop a dormant volcano 13,600 feet above the Pacific Ocean, is the site of NASA's Keck Interferometer project. Thu, 10 Nov 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/keck_tour_launch_page.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TPF/detectionMilestone.cfm For the first time ever, engineers working on JPL's Planet Detection Testbed have demonstrated that they can separate light as faint as that from a distant Earth-like planet from the blinding glare of its parent star. Thu, 10 Nov 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TPF/detectionMilestone.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/firstLight.cfm Astronomers have obtained the first images using the Large Binocular Telescope, a powerful new observatory that will eventually be used to observe giant planets around nearby stars. Wed, 26 Oct 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/firstLight.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/transitingPlanet.cfm An international team of astronomers has announced the discovery of a new transiting extrasolar planet. The planet HD189733b, in the constellation Vulpecula, was detected and studied by the combination of two different methods, radial velocities and photometric transits, using the telescopes at Haute-Provence Observatory (OHP). Wed, 12 Oct 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/transitingPlanet.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/giantStep.cfm Are we alone in the universe? Are there planets like Earth around other ?suns? that might harbor life? Thanks to a recent technology breakthrough on a key NASA planet-finding project, the dream of answering those questions is no longer light-years away. Thu, 29 Sep 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/giantStep.cfm http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=927 Now observations from from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggest that some gas giant planets may form in less than 1 million years -- far more rapidly than predicted by current theories of planet formation. Mon, 12 Sep 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=927 http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/SIM-Beichman.cfm A JPL scientist and his team are preparing to bring to the study of extrasolar planets what George Lucas brought to "Star Wars": the prequel. Tue, 16 Aug 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/SIM-Beichman.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/EspanolAnnouncement.cfm Spanish-speaking space aficionados can track the latest news in the hunt for planets around other stars, thanks to a new NASA website. Tue, 02 Aug 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/EspanolAnnouncement.cfm http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2005-126 A planet larger than Pluto has been discovered in the outlying regions of the solar system. (External press release) Fri, 29 Jul 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2005-126 http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/tripleSunsets.cfm A NASA-funded astronomer has discovered a world where the sun sets over the horizon, followed by a second sun and then a third. The new planet, called HD 188753 Ab, is the first known to reside in a classic triple-star system. Sat, 13 Aug 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/tripleSunsets.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/giantRockyCore.cfm NASA researchers recently discovered the largest solid core ever found in an extrasolar planet, and their discovery confirms a planet formation theory. Mon, 20 Jun 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/giantRockyCore.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/smallestESplanet.cfm A new computer program analyzed the motions of two giant planets and the star they orbit, and uncovered evidence of a third, much-smaller planet, just 7.5 times the mass of Earth. Mon, 20 Jun 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/smallestESplanet.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/gravMicrolensing.cfm An international collaboration of astronomers, including two well-equipped amateurs in New Zealand, has made the second discovery of an extrasolar planet using gravitational microlensing. Thu, 26 May 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/gravMicrolensing.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/tpf_3D_launch.cfm NASA has released a new, interactive visualization of the Terrestrial Planet Finder mission. Use your mouse to rotate the spacecraft, fire the thrusters or zoom in for a closer look at these advanced space observatories, designed for search for Earth-size planets and life. Mon, 09 May 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/tpf_3D_launch.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/pqToolkit3.cfm More than 100,000 people across the United States have been introduced to planet-finding, black holes and other astronomy topics through the Night Sky Network, founded in 2004 by the Astronomy Society of the Pacific and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Wed, 04 May 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/pqToolkit3.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/extraPlanet.cfm An international team of astronomers has reported confirmation of the first image of a planet-mass object outside of our solar system. The object, about five times the mass of Jupiter, orbits a brown dwarf rather than a star. Wed, 27 Apr 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/extraPlanet.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/gqLup.cfm A team of European astronomers has released an image of what may be an extrasolar planet obiting within the dusty disc surrounding a young star. The estimated mass of the substellar companion is between one and 42 times that of Jupiter. Tue, 12 Apr 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/gqLup.cfm http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/excitingStep.cfm NASA's long-range goal of finding Earthlike planets around other stars was brought a step closer to reality with the direct capture of light from two extrasolar planets, a prominent extrasolar planet researcher said this week. Tue, 22 Mar 2005 01:00:00 GMT http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/excitingStep.cfm