UNIVERSE TODAY - In recent decades, over 4,000 extrasolar planets have been confirmed beyond our Solar System. With so many planets available for study, astronomers have learned a great deal about the types of planets that exist out there and what kind of conditions are prevalent. For instance, they have been able to get a better idea of just how common habitable planets are (at least by our standards).
This study was led by Stephen Kane, a professor of astrobiology from the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside). He was joined by researchers from UC Berkeley, the University of Southern Queensland, the University of Hawai’i, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the Caltech Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC), the SETI Institute’s Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe.
_________________________________________________
The study, titled “Dynamical Packing in the Habitable Zone: The Case of Beta CVn,” appeared in the July 27th issue of The Astrophysical Journal.