Pandora and Endor could be science fact
Moons inhabited by furry Ewoks or blue-skinned Pandorians could be discovered within the next few years.
Habitable alien moons like the one depicted in the blockbuster movie Avatar may become science sooner than you might think, according to a leading astronomer.
In the 3D film, a race of 10ft blue-skinned giants inhabits an Earth-like moon called Pandora.
Their jungle world orbits a gas giant planet similar to Jupiter that cannot support life.
While the plucky Ewoks from Star Wars could be found on the forest moon of Endor, which, according to Wikipedia at least, also circled a large gas giant.
US astronomer and planet-hunter Lisa Kaltenegger, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, believes there is every chance a real-life version of Pandora exists and will soon be found.
She has conducted research showing that a planned new space telescope will be able to identify nearby "exomoons" and discover if they are habitable.
The American space agency Nasa's James Webb Space Telescope is due to be launched in 2014.
Dr Kaltenegger said: "If Pandora existed, we potentially could detect it and study its atmosphere in the next decade."
Astronomers have already spotted hundreds of Jupiter-sized gas giants orbiting stars, but none have conditions suitable for Earth-type life.
However a rocky moon orbiting a gas giant could harbour life if it was in the parent star's "habitable zone" - the region where temperatures are just right for liquid water.
"All of the gas giant planets in our solar system have rocky and icy moons," said Dr Kaltenegger. "That raises the possibility that alien Jupiters will also have moons. Some of those may be Earth-sized and able to hold onto an atmosphere."
For more science goodness, check out our Weird Science blog.
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Paul Cole - Paul Cole - Lost, Torchwood, Sci-fi, Dr Who and anything worth getting the Anorak on for
Steve Wollaston - Wookie-loving Star Wars fanatic with a love of all things Dharma and sci-fi. Our resident You-Tube trawler.
Daniel Smith - Would-be scientist who can't add up. Believes Sisko is the best captain and Ronald D Moore is some sort of god.
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