Astronomers from the Australian National University have discovered a star identical to our Sun. Scientists believe this could possibly be the "sun" of a planet that might be similar to ours, since the chemical composition of this star is similar to our Sun.

Named HD98618, this solar twin is almost as old as our Sun (about ten per cent younger), and has the same temperature and chemistry. This star is 126 light years away in the northern constellation of Ursa Major or the Big Dipper.

What's getting all the scientists excited about HD98618 is the possibility that there may be terrestrial planets near this twin Sun that may have also developed complex life formations such as those on Earth. Planet hunter teams are already trying to find whether there are planets near the HD98618.

[Via Physorg] Permalink  |   Email this  |   Linking Blogs   |   Digg It!

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