Earth-like planet may be on our doorstep

by Rich Bowden - Oct 27 2008, 20:23

The search for Earth-like planets has taken a step forward with the discovery that a nearby star system, similar to our own, may contain as-yet undiscovered planets.

The star, Epsilon Eridani, is just 10.5 light years away from Earth, a mere stone's throw in astronomical terms, and resembles a younger version of our solar system, according to U.S. researchers.

Astronomers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics said in a statement the star has two rocky asteroid belts and an outer icy ring, making it a triple-ring system. However, of greater interest is the fact that the inner asteroid belt is very similar to our own and that all three rings may harbour unseen planets similar to Earth.

"Studying Epsilon Eridani is like having a time machine to look at our solar system when it was young," said Smithsonian astronomer and researcher Massimo Marengo, co-author of the discovery paper, which will appear in the January 10 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

Fellow co-author Dana Backman of the SETI Institute agreed, saying: "This system probably looks a lot like ours did when life first took root on Earth."

The system possesses an outer icy asteroid belt similar to the Kuiper Belt at the edge of our solar system, and an inner rocky asteroid belt resembling the belt that exists between Mars and Jupiter. The star, which is visible to the naked eye, is smaller and cooler than our Sun though much younger as it formed around 850 million years ago.

"Epsilon Eridani looks a lot like the young solar system, so it's conceivable that it will evolve similarly," said Marengo.

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