Astronomers have made two new planetary discoveries that they claim expand the known boundaries of our solar system. The two finds, one planet at the edge of our solar system and one just beyond, have both been hailed as major scientific advances.
Brad Tucker, an astronomer from Mount Stromlo Observatory in Canberra, Australia, said: “probably gives us the best chance for life outside our solar system right now.” “One of the goals of astronomy and astrophysics and finding these planets is firstly to really find another Earth.” he added.
Drake Deming, an astronomer at the University of Maryland said that GJ 1132b could be the most important planet ever found outside the solar system, adding that its proximity is great because it will “allow astronomers to study the planet with unprecedented fidelity.”
According to Tucker the discovery confirms that the system is far more complicated than astronomers previously imagined, according to Tucker.
“The reason this find is important is we don’t actually know how our solar system was formed, there really is a mystery out there,” he said. “We have a poor understanding of it because we keep finding new objects like this, and if we don’t understand how our solar system formed, we don’t know the ingredients that are required to make an earth. And the ultimate question — what is the boundary of our solar system?”
