Science
MIT finds young planets stay hotter longer
Cambridge, Mass. | October 20, 2008 12:01:13 AM IST
U.S. scientists say they've discovered hot, young planets might be easier to spot than realized because they remain hot longer than has been thought. The study, led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Linda Elkins-Tanton, revealed that for a few million years after their initial formation, planets similar to Earth might maintain a hot surface of molten rock that would glow brightly enough to make them stand out as they orbit neighboring stars. Elkins-Tanton said the magma ocean stage for Earth-sized planets might last a few million years -- much longer than previously estimated. That means we may actually see them elsewhere, as detection systems get better, she said. Elkins-Tanton presented her findings last week in Ithaca, N.Y., during the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences. (UPI)
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