Lithium clue for planet-hunters

[Rick]

Astronomers may have found a way to identify those Sun-like stars most likely to harbour orbiting planets.

A survey of stars known to possess planets shows the vast majority to be severely depleted in lithium.

To date, scientists have detected just over 420 worlds circling other stars using a range of techniques.

Garik Israelian and colleagues tell the journal Nature that future planet hunts could be narrowed by going after stars with particular compositions.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8354522.stm

[Rick]

Lithium trick ideal for hunting alien civilisations

Astro boffins have developed a simple method for telling which stars have planets and which don't, potentially a great help in hunting for alien civilisations or uninhabited Earthlike worlds ripe for colonisation by humanity.

It seems that - for some reason not as yet understood - stars which have planets have much less lithium in them than those without planetary systems. Determining how much lithium a star has is easy and simple for astronomers, much less trouble than trying to spot planets across the enormity of interstellar space.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/12/lithium_planet_spotting/