THE OTHER EARTHS are closer to being found. This is hugely exciting.

The roll call of planets beyond the solar system swelled significantly with the announcement of a trio of newly discovered worlds much smaller than any previously discovered around other stars. The masses of these new planets are comparable to those of Neptune or Uranus in our solar system, ranging from about 14 to 20 times the mass of Earth.

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Dr. Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington said, "We are prepared unexpectedly for the next step in planetary science, finding truly Earth-mass planets."

One of the new planets is part of a system around a star 55 Cancri, already known to harbor three larger planets, making it the first quadruple-planet system to be found beyond the solar system, and a likely target for research. Dr. Barbara McArthur of the University of Texas said, "We're on the way to finding the first extra-solar planet Earth, and it's an exciting road to be on."

Fifty years from now, everyone will have forgotten this year's political conventions, but this will be a crucial step in history.

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