Now the star wars can really begin

I can remember a time when astronomers were excited to have discovered the first extra-solar planet (planets outside of our own solar system). It was only 1991, which wasn't that long ago. I'm no astronomer, but I was excited by the discovery as well. Somehow it made the infinitely huge universe seem that much larger.

Well, that discovery was, like, sooo last decade. Since then astronomers have identified nearly 350 planets abroad in the Milky Way. Some of them, scientists speculate, are likely to have similar conditions to our own planet Earth.

But wait! There's a new reason to feel that the universe is expanding. Astronomers are now stating that they may have seen the first extra-galactic planet. It showed up when they applied a microlensing technique in the direction of the Andromeda Galaxy, roughly 2.5 million light years away. The new planet is said to have six times the mass of Jupiter.

No one has stated yet whether the newly discovered planet is inhabited by wookies.

[Full Story]