Scientists have always been in the quest for information about our universe and the growing interest in space exploration is testimony to this fact because they believe some how, that there are several earth like planets out there in the galaxy. This explains why the discovery of new planets will be the pre-occupation of man for as long as we live.

 The hot scientific news today is that astronomers have seen a new and totally unexpected planet about 350 light years away from the earth’s orbit. The planet code named “Hot Jupiter” is a phenomenal gas giant planet orbiting the star Wasp-18. The reason why Scientists are perplexed about this new found planet is that it is so close to its star that under normal conditions, it should have been completely burnt out by its parent star, yet by all accounts, this planet is still very much around and it has been around for approximately 1 billion years! This unique aspect of the planet has thrown our understanding of orbital dynamics into complete disarray according to research published in the journal of nature.

To fully under stand just how close this planet is to its star, it takes less than one earth day for the planet to complete its orbit, and it is this closeness that is astounding scientists.
I am glad that just last night, NASA was flying some seven Astronauts to the International Space Station with food and some mice for scientific studies. These efforts should continue to increase our understanding of the universe and governments the world over should not be reluctant to fund space exploration.