Jan. 20th, 2009

groovychk: (science)
"New Scientist is reporting the extrasolar planet MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb — whose discovery was announced just last summer — may actually be the first truly Earth-sized exoplanet to be identified. A new analysis suggests the planet weighs less than half the original estimate of 3.3 Earth masses; the new estimate pegs the planet's size at 1.4 Earth masses. The planet orbits a small red dwarf star, some 3,000 light-years from here, at an orbital distance of 0.62 astronomical units, about the same distance as Venus from our sun. One significance of the planet's discovery is that it points to the probable ubiquity of smaller terrestrial planets in somewhat Earth-like orbits around red dwarf stars, the oldest and most numerous stars in the galaxy. Here is a video report from the discoverers."

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16439-smallest-known-planet-may-actually-be-earthmass.html

---

This kind of thing always intrigues me.
  • 15:31 @amazonsun you go! :-) #
  • 22:44 I have a new nephew :-) #
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

August 2023

S M T W T F S
  12 345
6 789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Sep. 15th, 2025 10:53 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios