51. Bioastronomy - Search for Extraterrestrial Life: Bioastronomie - Recherche De La Vie Dans L’univers

Abstract

The past three years have seen not only a growth in the activities of our commission, but an extension of its activities into important areas which have heretofore motivated too little activity. Of particular interest have been the many activities directed towards elucidating the question of the abundance of extrasolar planetary systems. There have been a number of observations showing the presence of disks of dust around nearby stars, disks which fit the idea that stars are often formed with an accompanying disk of dust which may in many or perhaps all cases produce a planetary system. Infra-red evidence for dust disks exists for something like twenty stars. The disk of Beta Pictoris has even been clearly imaged at optical wavelengths, showing without a doubt that such disk structures exist. One very impressive detection of an apparent brown dwarf object has also been made; should this be confirmed by other observations, it would be clear evidence for the existence of planet-like bodies in the systems of other stars.