SETI search to look at 'likely' worlds

BERKELEY, Calif., May 16 (UPI) -- U.S. astronomers searching for alien life say they'll aim radio telescopes at some likely candidates among 1,235 planets discovered by a NASA space telescope.

Astronomers at the University of California, Berkeley say once they acquire 24 hours of data on a total of 86 Earth-like planets among those found by the Kepler space telescope, they'll initiate a coarse analysis and then, in about two months, ask an estimated 1 million SETI@home users to conduct a more detailed analysis on their home computers, a CU Berkeley release reported last week.

"It's not absolutely certain that all of these stars have habitable planetary systems, but they're very good places to look for ET," CU Berkeley graduate student Andrew Simeon said.

Astronomers will concentrate on planets in a star's habitable zone, where liquid water could exist.

"We've picked out the planets with nice temperatures -- between zero and 100 degrees Celsius (32 degrees to 212 degrees F.) -- because they are a lot more likely to harbor life," said physicist Dan Worthier, chief scientist for SETI@home .

"It's really exciting to be able to look at this first batch of Earth-like planets."

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/05/16/SETI-search-to-look-at-likely-worlds/UPI-93271305582867/.