Astronomers announce discovery of dozens of exoplanets
Posted: Tue, Sep 13, 2011, 7:51 AM ET (1151 GMT)
Astronomers announced Monday the discovery of 50 new extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, including a "super-Earth" that orbits on the edge of a star's habitable zone. Astronomers discovered the exoplanets using a spectrograph mounted on a telescope at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile. Of the 50 new exoplanets, 16 are so-called "super-Earths", planets between one and ten times the mass of the Earth. One of those 16, HD 85512 b, is about 3.6 times the mass of the Earth and orbits on the edge of its star's habitable zone, a region that would allow liquid water to exist on the planet's surface. The overall discovery, the largest number of exoplanets announced at one time, brings the total number of confirmed exoplanets to over 600.
Astronomers announced Monday the discovery of 50 new extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, including a "super-Earth" that orbits on the edge of a star's habitable zone. Astronomers discovered the exoplanets using a spectrograph mounted on a telescope at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile. Of the 50 new exoplanets, 16 are so-called "super-Earths", planets between one and ten times the mass of the Earth. One of those 16, HD 85512 b, is about 3.6 times the mass of the Earth and orbits on the edge of its star's habitable zone, a region that would allow liquid water to exist on the planet's surface. The overall discovery, the largest number of exoplanets announced at one time, brings the total number of confirmed exoplanets to over 600.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, March 19
Firefly Aerospace Selected for the 2025 Robert J. Collier Trophy
National Aeronautic Association — 5:22 am ET (0922 GMT) Satellite development begins for EUMETSAT Polar System – Sterna
EUMETSAT — 5:22 am ET (0922 GMT) Minotaur IV rocket motor stacking at Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-8
US Space Force — 5:20 am ET (0920 GMT) MDA Space awarded contract with Canadian Department of National Defence to deliver Ground-Based Optical Capability for Space Surveillance
MDA — 5:18 am ET (0918 GMT) Rocket Lab wins record contract with US Department of War
Radio New Zealand — 5:17 am ET (0917 GMT) |
