packed groups of stars may
make excellent cradles for
complex space-traveling life to
evolve. Despite studies that
claim these environments, known as globular clusters,
may be too harsh for life, a
new study argues for a more
optimistic view based on the
evolving understanding of
where planets lie outside the solar system. "A globular cluster might be
the first place in
which intelligent life is identified in our galaxy," lead study author Rosanne Di
Stefano, of the Harvard-
Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics, said in a
statement. Di Stefano
presented the new research today (Jan. 6) here at the
227th meeting of the American
Astronomical Society.Globular clusters are massive groupings of millions of stars in a region
only 100 light-years across.
The clusters date back to the
early life of the Milky Way —
nearly 10 billion years ago.
(For comparison, the universe is approximately 13.7 billion
years old.) Although these
clusters' age raises some
questions, it also provides
ample time for civilizations that
emerged to evolve and become complex.
Posted: at | |