Want to phone ET? Well, according to the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia, the list of conformed planets outside our solar system has now topped 700 alien worlds, some of which may be suitable for life. For astronomers, the 700 mark is a major milestone, considering that the idea of there being any planets outside the solar system was nothing but speculation not even two decades ago.
The first extrasolar planet, which orbits a star called 51 Pegasei, was found way back in 1995. In the 14 years following this historic discovery, about 500 more extrasolar planets had been found, largely by the use of Doppler Spectroscopy. When NASA launched its Kepler Observatory in 2009, a new era in planet hunting was born as Kepler used an ultra sensitive light meter to measure the photons coming from distant stars. Any dip in the photons could then be interpreted as evidence of a planet transiting the face of its parent star. Subsequent observations would therefore be made to confirm this fact.
In 2011, planet hunting, while not exactly a cakewalk, has become relatively easy, so much so that new focus is being put on finding rocky, Earth-like planets in the 'habitable zones' of their parent stars is now the objective of planetary scientists. Gone of the days of being content with Jupiter-sized gas worlds. Now, it does not take a degree in planetary science to realize that, to have life as we know it, one needs a solid surface on which to live and temperatures that are not too hot or cold. First, gas giant planets don't have a solid surface and many of the previously detected alien planets orbit too close to their stars to be in the temperature range that is considered suitable for life.
Earlier this year, NASA made big news when it announced that Kepler had detected over 1,200 probable planets. In the wake of such a monumental discovery, there was another: the European Southern Observatory announced that it had found over 50 planets. While paling in comparison to Kepler in terms of sheer numbers, this discovery was made all the mote monumental by the factthat these planets were discovered via an earth-bound telescope.
So, why care?
For scientists (as well as philosophers/theologians), the question of 'are we alone' has been at the forefront of minds for centuries. Yes, while discovering a rocky planet in the habitable one of a star is not a proverbial phone call from ET, each discovery of a probable cosmic home goes to boost the chances that there could be intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos.
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