New computer models suggest that some planets orbiting nearby stars similar to the sun might fluctuate between being habitable and being inhospitable to life because of the forces exerted by giant neighbours with eccentric orbits.
A planet like Earth with a generally circular orbit toward the inner edge of its sun’s habitable zone could be expected to remain there. But adding a planet comparable to Jupiter to the system, however, and giving it a highly elliptical orbit—similar to most exoplanets discovered so far—can cause strange things to happen to the smaller planet, possibly causing it to cycle between habitable and uninhabitable conditions.
For more information on exoplanets check out the NASA /JPL Exoplanet science site and ESA COROT websites
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