las cruces sun-news 3a monday, june 17,...

Las Cruces Sun-News 3A Monday, June 17, 2013

NMSU News Clips University Communications

and Marketing Services

Las Cruces Sun-News 1B Monday, June 17, 2013



Las Cruces Sun-News Business 6 Monday, June 17, 2013



El Paso Times C1, C2 Monday, June 17, 2013



Albuquerque Journal A1, A4 Monday, June 17, 2013

NMSU News Clips (1 of 2) University Communications


Albuquerque Journal A1, A4 Monday, June 17, 2013

NMSU News Clips (2 of 2) University Communications


Albuquerque Journal BO 8 Monday, June 17, 2013



Alamogordo Daily News Tuesday, May 14, 2013



Cibola Beacon (Grants) Tuesday, May 14, 2013



Clovis News Journal Sunday, May 12, 2013



iTech Post (NY) Web Search Sunday, June 16, 2013



Just like in Star Wars: Binary star planetary systems have higher chances for alien life

An artist visualization of a twin-star system. Credit:Space

Remember the planet Tatooine from "Star Wars" that has two suns? Planets revolving around two suns may

actually have higher chances of hosting life forms, according to a new research.

According to the study, the dual sun setup of these systems gives such alien planets a bigger Goldilocks Zone. Joni

Clark from the New Mexico State University and Paul Mason, an astrophysicist, concluded that two stars around 80

percent as massive as our sun, given an ideal distance between them, may be ideal to make planets around them

habitable.

"[The stars] calm each other down. It's like a really good marriage. They vent to each other, and they're not focused

on anything else. They slow each other down and that causes increased magnetic protection of the planets,"

explained Clark when interviewed by Space.

"It also leaves the potential open for smaller planets that have less magnetic field protection to remain habitable

because in a sense they don't have to protect themselves from as much as they would in a single star case," Clark

added.

In such binary star systems, the planets are not only the one revolving around the suns. The stars are also revolving

one another but do not drift apart because if that happens, their gravitational pull on the planets will also be

affected.

If planets revolve only the secondary star in a twin-star setup, it may be subjected to solar aggression that will not

make life possible. Conversely, planets that go around the two stars may have an easier time. The scientists

however noted that it is a case to case basis and such setup does not always create an oasis.

Clark also assumes that planets in such systems that have a lesser magnetic field may still be viable for life since

the planets are not too prone to solar assaults.

"Other groups have recently shown that planets close to stars of any type suffer water loss, like Venus, and

atmosphere erosion, mostly early in the star's life. These effects may occur even for planets with magnetic field

protection. The beauty of close binaries is that their habitable zones are located farther out," Mason revealed in an

earlier interview.

Scientists trying to explore the rest of the universe for binary systems cannot just rely on telescope imaging but

have to depend on tools like the Kepler Space Telescope to locate distant twin suns and rocky planets.

http://www.space.com/21543-habitable-alien-planets-binary-stars.html

http://www.space.com/19962-habitable-planets-binary-stars.html

The Times of India (India) Web Search Monday, June 17, 2013



Planets with 2 suns may host life?

NEW YORK: Planets with two suns - like Tatooine in the Star Wars movie series - may be more capable of

supporting life than other planets, a new research has claimed. The dual suns of the Tatooine-like planets might

actually help prevent damaging solar winds from bombarding planets in their system, allowing for a wider

"Goldilocks zone" of habitability , Joni Clark, an undergraduate student at New Mexico State University, said.

He presented his research at the 222nd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Indianapolis ,

SPACE.com reported. "( The stars) calm each other down," Clark said, based on her new work that expands on

earlier studies examining binaries (planets with two suns).

"It's like a really good marriage . They vent to each other, and they're not focused on anything else. They slow each

other down and that causes increased magnetic protection of the planets," Clark told the website.

When the stars in a binary are somewhat evenly matched in mass, they can enter into a synchronized dance that

keeps solar winds to a minimum. The stars also need to fully orbit one another within 10 to 30 days to expand the

habitable zone. If they drift too far apart, it could put a significant gravitational strain on the orbiting planets.

The magnetic fields of the planets aren't necessarily boosted in these kinds of binary systems , Clark said, but they

don't have to deal with as much solar wind assault.

Watery worlds and rocky planets could form in areas of the system that might not be habitable without the double

star interaction , he added.

"It also leaves the potential open for smaller planets that have less magnetic field protection to remain habitable as

they don't have to protect themselves from as much as they would in a single star case," Clark said.

Clark found that some "ptype" planets (that orbit both stars in a binary system) receive 0.7% less flux from solar

wind than Earth depending on their position in the solar system.

"Potentially, p-type binaries could have more potential for habitability ," Clark said. In these systems , it's also

possible that habitable alien planets could exist as close-in to their stars as Venus is to the Sun.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Star-Wars

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/30-Days

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Magnetic-Fields-%28musician%29

las cruces sun-news 3a monday, june 17,...

Documents