Astronomers Discover Ancient Solar System with Earth-Like Planets

Tiago Campante/Peter Devine/University of Birmingham(NEW YORK) — The discovery of a solar system as old as the Milky Way, and with five Earth-like planets, could shed new light on the possibility of ancient life forms in the galaxy.

The planets orbit around Kepler 444, which at 11.2 billion years old, is more than twice as old as the sun, according to researchers at the University of Birmingham in Britain who published their findings Tuesday in the Astrophysical Journal.

Despite being 117 light-years away from Earth, in the direction of the constellations Cygnus and Lyra, researchers were able to learn more about the solar system using a practice called astroseismology.

Listening to the hum of Kepler 444, the team was able to notice the slight changes in brightness created by the noise, which enabled them to measure the star’s diameter, mass and calculate its approximate age.

Researchers studied the brightness of the star over time and detected planets passing in front of it, creating a slight dimming effect. Depending how much the light was dimmed, researchers were then able to measure the size of the planets, using Kepler 444 as a baseline.

“There are far-reaching implications for this discovery,” lead researcher Tiago Campante said in a statement. “We now know that Earth-sized planets have formed throughout most of the Universe’s 13.8 billion year history, which could provide scope for the existence of ancient life in the Galaxy.”

Since the newly discovered planets are older than Earth is, researchers hope that by studying them, they may learn more about planet formation — including what could be in store for our home.

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