"Super-Earth" found in habitable zone of another star
Posted: Thu, Nov 8, 2012, 6:26 AM ET (1126 GMT)
Astronomers announced Wednesday the discovery of a "super-Earth" extrasolar planet within the habitable zone of a nearby star. Astronomers said the planet, one of six known to orbit the star HD 40307, has a mass at least seven times that of the Earth and orbits the star at a distance similar to the Earth's distance from the Sun. HD 40307 is a K-class star about 42 light-years from the Sun; astronomers found three exoplanets around it in 208, but updated techniques that improved the sensitivity of radial velocity observations allowed astronomers to detect three more, including the super-Earth.
Astronomers announced Wednesday the discovery of a "super-Earth" extrasolar planet within the habitable zone of a nearby star. Astronomers said the planet, one of six known to orbit the star HD 40307, has a mass at least seven times that of the Earth and orbits the star at a distance similar to the Earth's distance from the Sun. HD 40307 is a K-class star about 42 light-years from the Sun; astronomers found three exoplanets around it in 208, but updated techniques that improved the sensitivity of radial velocity observations allowed astronomers to detect three more, including the super-Earth.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, September 30
U.S. Air Force puts STP-3 launch out for bid to SpaceX and ULA
Space News — 7:56 pm ET (2356 GMT) Gogo: North American market will be awash in Ku-band in 2020
Space News — 7:55 pm ET (2355 GMT) Airbus signs up first customer for external space station platform
Space News — 7:55 pm ET (2355 GMT) Rosetta’s Grand Finale
Sky & Telescope — 7:53 pm ET (2353 GMT) What does it take for 'normal people' to go to space?
Christian Science Monitor — 7:52 pm ET (2352 GMT) |
