Kepler artistic concept

A team led by the University of Arizona has been selected by Nasa to research on Earth-like features that any other planets might have, and explore the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe.

As part of the Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) programme, the researchers will study the formation of Earth-like planets and explore nearby stars in search for similar worlds.

The NExSS team will comprise members from ten universities, three Nasa centres and two research institutes.

The team will work on various components of exoplanets such as planets around other stars, as well as evaluate the parent stars and neighbour planets to understand how they support life.

NExSS will focus on understanding how biology interacts with atmosphere, geology, oceans and the interior of a planet and the impact of host star on these interactions.

University of Arizona Earths in other solar systems (EOS) team lead Daniel Apai said: "Participation in the new NExSS programme allows us to endeavour on an ambitious programme to understand how Earth-like planets form and acquire their water, carbon, and nitrogen budget, in other words, how to equip a planet with the ingredients and processes necessary to sustain life as we know it."

As part of the programme, the EOS team will conduct 14 research projects and the results will be incorporated into a computer model of planetary system formation. This information will enable in evaluating the probability of planetary systems to host Earth-like planets.

"Participation in the new NExSS programme allows us to endeavour on an ambitious programme to understand how Earth-like planets form and acquire their water, carbon, and nitrogen budget."

University of Chicago and Tucson-based National Optical Astronomical Observatory (NOAO) will also work on the project.

NOAO lead and astronomer Joan Najita said: "Using infrared and millimetre wavelength observations, we will look for chemical evidence of planet formation in action and try to better understand the timing of planet formation, when it begins and how long it takes."

Nasa has been searching for extraterrestrial life for many years.

In 2009, the agency launched its Kepler space telescope and has since discovered more than 1,800 exoplanets with thousands yet to be confirmed.

Scientists believe that the presence of potentially habitable-exoplanets raises the possibility of similar planets being common in nearby galaxies where astronomers could search for signs of life.

Image: An artist’s impression of a rocky, Earth-size exoplanet in the habitable zone of its host star. Photo: courtesy of Nasa Ames / SETI Institute / JPL-Caltech.