Global cluster most likely to host interstellar civilization

Washington: A new research says that globular star clusters, which are extraordinary in almost every way, can be good places to look for space-faring civilizations.

Astrophysicist Rosanne DiStefano said that globular cluster might be the first place in which intelligent life is identified in our galaxy.

Astronomers estimate upwards of 70 percent of all stars in the universe exist in globular clusters. The more stars there are, the more planets there should be- the more planets, the more opportunities for intelligent life to develop.

The Milky Way galaxy hosts about 150 globular clusters, most of them orbiting in the galactic outskirts. They formed about 10 billion years ago on average.

As a result, their stars contain fewer of the heavy elements needed to construct planets, since those elements (like iron and silicon) must be created in earlier generations of stars.

This study was presented at 227th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society. (ANI)