The moons and rings shown in this illustration are hypothetical. All gas giant planets in our solar system have ring systems and multiple satellites, so it is expected that extrasolar gas giants should have them as well. In our continuing series on Astrobiology 2000, Bruce Moomaw reports on the latest in Exo World science, and the hunt for terrestrial-like planets. But there is no hope of finding anything more complex than one-celled microbial life in this solar system. This is a staggeringly difficult undertaking, but over the past decade we have finally begun acquiring the technologies that will let us make a serious effort to do so.
Planets are indeed common in the universe.
In this report, I'll give a rundown on the Conference talks and posters on these issues. It has become clear beyond doubt in recent years that planetary systems around other stars are very common indeed. In every one of them, the dust cloud turned out to be a rotating flat disk of just the sort which is supposed to become a planetary system. Moreover, he found that many of the disks had gaps or concentrated rings in them of a sort which strongly indicates that giant planets are already forming in them.