Planets can form around different types of stars
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - 17:31
in Astronomy & Space
It had previously been thought that planets were more likely to form around a star if the star had a high content of heavier elements. But new research shows that small planets can form around very different types of stars -- also stars that are relatively poor in heavy elements. This significantly increases the likelihood that Earth-like planets are widespread in the universe.