GENEVA — Scientists on Tuesday announced they have identified a sunlike star with up to seven planets — including one that might be the smallest ever found outside the solar system.
If confirmed, the planetary system around HD 10180, a star more than 100 light-years distant, would be the richest ever discovered.
One astronomer says it’s part of a growing body of evidence that the universe is full of planets — and that several could be similar to Earth.
“The really nice thing about finding systems like this is that it shows that there are many more out there,” said Alan Boss of the Washington-based Carnegie Institution for Science, who wasn’t involved with the find.
Although most of the planets identified are large — about 13 to 25 times the mass of Earth — those behind the discovery, announced at an international conference in France, say they’re nearly certain they have identified one only 1.4 times the size of Earth. Denver Post wire services
