Starry, Starry Night
Spring 2012 · Comment ·
A group of UT Arlington astrophysicists hopes its work will help NASA determine whether life exists in a nearby star system. Last year the agency revealed that its Kepler mission had located a cold, gaseous planet, named Kepler-16b, orbiting two stars within our galaxy. After studying the data, the UT Arlington team concluded that an Earth-type planet could exist in the star system鈥檚 鈥渉abitable zone鈥� as an exomoon orbiting Kepler-16b. The researchers also believe that an extended habitable zone may exist outside the planet鈥檚 orbit. 鈥淭his is an assessment of the possibilities,鈥� says physics Professor Zdzislaw Musielak. 鈥淲e鈥檙e telling them where a planet has to be in the system to be habitable. We鈥檙e hoping they will look there.鈥� The team includes Dr. Musielak, Associate Professor Manfred Cuntz, and doctoral student Billy Quarles.