spacetoday.net: Kepler finds solar system of three small exoplanets

Posted: Thu, Jan 12, 2012, 9:02 AM ET (1402 GMT)
KOI-961 planetary system illustration (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Scientists analyzing data collected by NASA's Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft have discovered a solar system consisting of three of the smallest exoplanets yet discovered. The three planets orbit a star designated KOI-961, with radii of 0.78, 0.73 and 0.57 times that of the Earth, making the smallest about the size of Mars. All three planets are believed to be rocky worlds, although well inside of the star's habitable zone. The three are the smallest exoplanets yet found around a normal star, and come on the heels of last month's announcement of the first Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting a Sun-like star, also detected by data from Kepler. A team of Caltech made the discovery in data released to the public by the Kepler project, and followed it up with groundbased observations to confirm the discovery.