Alan Boss and NAI Postdoctoral Associate Maggie Turnbull each have feature articles on extrasolar planets in the October 2006 Astronomy magazine. Boss’ article, “How Do You Make a Giant Exoplanet?,” focuses on the debate over how gas giant planets form. Boss states that neither core accretion or disk instability are completely developed theoretical mechanisms for understanding the development of gas giants—they both leave questions unanswered. In his article, Boss emphasizes that many more observational tests are needed in order to determine “whether theoreticians’ amusements have a place in the real universe.”

Turnbull’s article entitled “Where is Life Hiding?,” focuses on the search for habitable zones, or—as Turnbull refers to them as—“Goldilocks” zones ("not too hot, not too cold, just right") around stars that have the potential to support life. In addition to explaining why Earth and the Sun are ideal for supporting life, Turnbull lists the top ten places to look for life in the outer solar system. The articles are available online with a subscription to Astronomy. A print copy is located in the Astronomy Library.