Scientists search cosmos for new worlds

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (KRQE) - Some New Mexico scientists are now working with NASA to find planets outside of the solar system.

Four Los Alamos National Lab researchers are on an international team using a new NASA satellite.

The new "Kepler" spacecraft blasted off from Florida on Friday.

As the Kepler mission soared into the night sky, so soared the hopes of about 200 Kepler team scientists around the globe, including four from Los Alamos National Lab.

Kepler will survey the stars in our Milky Way Galaxy, and look for indicators that planets orbit other stars. It's done by calculation.

Telescopes still cannot actually see planets around stars. However, when a planet passes in front of a far away star, the light from that star dims.

Measurements can be made to determine the size and type of an orbiting star.

It requires very sensitive instruments.

"An earthlike planet, passing in front of a sun-like star is going to cause the brightness of that star to dim by only one part per ten thousand. That's like looking at a headlight from a great distance and trying to sense the brightness change, when a flea crawls across the surface," Astronomy Professor Natalie Batalha said.

Los Alamos researchers in the Kepler Mission are experts in determining the makeup of distant stars or stellar seismologists.

About 300 planets outside our own solar system have already been discovered, but most are gas giants like Jupiter or Saturn.

Kepler scientists said they are not looking for life on earthlike planets that they may find across the galaxy.

However if they discover habitable planets, future missions may try to look for signs of life. Life signs might be observable in the atmospheres of those alien worlds.