ET-Hunters

And we're off! From the Discovery Channel News website:

First Four Exoplanets of 2012 Discovered

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Apart from having breakneck orbital speeds, one of the exoplanets (HAT-P-34b) is notable for having a very elongated -- or "eccentric" -- orbit. Only four other transiting exoplanets are known to have more eccentric orbits.

SLIDE SHOW: Top Exoplanets for Alien Life

Although many "hot-Jupiter" exoplanets are known to exist, this marks the start of a very exciting year of extrasolar planet-hunting.

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Go science! Extraterrestrial life would be an incredible discovery. However, we should probably recognize that all this interest in ET is mostly for narrative-building purposes. We CAN'T be alone. (See Radio Silence: Still Searching for Wisdom in the Sky by Regis Nicoll from issue 14.)