Alpha Centauri Possibility

A new computer simulation suggests that planetary disks, which lead to the formation of planets, can form in binary star systems under the right conditions. Astronomers and physicists have generally thought that the interaction of gravitational fields in multiple star systems would inhibit the formation of planets.

If the general is interesting, the specific is tantalyzing. Applying the model to the Alpha Centauri system, researchers say there's a possibility Earth-like planets could exist there, especially around Alpha Centauri B. No planets have yet been found in that system, however.

Finding a world similar to Earth in the Alpha Centauri system would be a game changer. It would strongly suggest that worlds in Earth's general category are relatively common throughout the cosmos, with everything that implies. It would focus the space programs of humans on a long term goal. An unmanned probe could easily be on its way to the Centauri system yet this century, and human missions to Mars could be put in a broader context. Far from being threatened, human spaceflight could become a distinguishing feature of the twenty-first century.