How was the smallest planet discovered outside of the solar system?
The smallest planet discovered outside our solar system has been found by Spanish scientists. The rocky planet, with a radius about 50 percent greater than the Earth’s, circles a small red dwarf star 30 light years away in the constellation of Leo, said the scientists from Spain’s Superior Council for Scientific Investigations (CSIC). The planet, known as GJ 436c, was found by analyzing distortions in the orbit of another, larger planet around the star GJ 436, a technique similar to that used more than 100 years ago to discover Neptune. With a mass about five times greater than Earth’s, it is the smallest planet yet discovered outside the solar system and improving techniques are opening the way to discovering worlds ever more like our own.
Scientists discover a nearly Earth-sized planet By JENNIFER QUINN, Associated Press Writer Jennifer Quinn, Associated Press Writer – Tue Apr 21, 6:17 pm ET HATFIELD, England – In the search for Earth-like planets, astronomers zeroed in Tuesday on two places that look awfully familiar to home. One is close to the right size. The other is in the right place. European researchers said they not only found the smallest exoplanet ever, called Gliese 581 e, but realized that a neighboring planet discovered earlier, Gliese 581 d, was in the prime habitable zone for potential life. “The Holy Grail of current exoplanet research is the detection of a rocky, Earth-like planet in the ‘habitable zone,'” said Michel Mayor, an astrophysicist at Geneva University in Switzerland. An American expert called the discovery of the tiny planet “extraordinary.” Gliese 581 e is only 1.9 times the size of Earth — while previous planets found outside our solar system are closer to the size of massive Jupiter, whi
The smallest planet discovered outside our solar system has been found by Spanish scientists. The rocky planet, with a radius about 50 percent greater than the Earth’s, circles a small red dwarf star 30 light years away in the constellation of Leo, said the scientists from Spain’s Superior Council for Scientific Investigations (CSIC). The planet, known as GJ 436c, was found by analyzing distortions in the orbit of another, larger planet around the star GJ 436, a technique similar to that used more than 100 years ago to discover Neptune. With a mass about five times greater than Earth’s, it is the smallest planet yet discovered outside the solar system and improving techniques are opening the way to discovering worlds ever more like our own. Sources: http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL0956988620080409?
The smallest planet discovered outside our solar system has been found by Spanish scientists. The rocky planet, with a radius about 50 percent greater than the Earth’s, circles a small red dwarf star 30 light years away in the constellation of Leo, said the scientists from Spain’s Superior Council for Scientific Investigations (CSIC). The planet, known as GJ 436c, was found by analyzing distortions in the orbit of another, larger planet around the star GJ 436, a technique similar to that used more than 100 years ago to discover Neptune. With a mass about five times greater than Earth’s, it is the smallest planet yet discovered outside the solar system and improving techniques are opening the way to discovering worlds ever more like our own. source: www.reuters.com Sources: http://www.reuters.
Scientists discover a nearly Earth-sized planet By JENNIFER QUINN, Associated Press Writer Jennifer Quinn, Associated Press Writer – Tue Apr 21, 6:17 pm ET HATFIELD, England – In the search for Earth-like planets, astronomers zeroed in Tuesday on two places that look awfully familiar to home. One is close to the right size. The other is in the right place. European researchers said they not only found the smallest exoplanet ever, called Gliese 581 e, but realized that a neighboring planet discovered earlier, Gliese 581 d, was in the prime habitable zone for potential life. “The Holy Grail of current exoplanet research is the detection of a rocky, Earth-like planet in the ‘habitable zone,'” said Michel Mayor, an astrophysicist at Geneva University in Switzerland. An American expert called the discovery of the tiny planet “extraordinary.” Gliese 581 e is only 1.9 times the size of Earth — while previous planets found outside our solar system are closer to the size of massive Jupiter, whi
