The vast majority are bigger than those of our solar system: 1,339 so-called ice giants, 1,457 Neptune-like gas giants, and 1320 "super Earths" with masses many times greater than the rock we call home. There are 4,284 confirmed exoplanets as of September 29, according to the NASA Exoplanet Archive, and at least as many likely candidates. Queloz is among the more than 100 co-authors of the new study, published last week in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. NASA's Kepler spacecraft used it to find thousands of candidates from 2009 to 2013.Įxoplanets-any planet outside our solar system-were first confirmed to exist in 1995 by two Swiss astronomers, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, an exploit that earned them a physics Nobel last year. This "transit" method has detected the vast majority of exoplanets discovered so far. When a planet passes between its star and an observer-whether an astronomer on land or a telescope in space-it dims the star's light by a tiny but measurable amount. It is too far away from Earth to see directly, but can be detected in other ways. Some 322 light years away in the constellation Libra, WASP-189b is so close to its host star that it orbits in less than three days. "This object is one of the most extreme planets we know so far," she added, describing it as "very exotic." "We estimate the temperature of WASP-189b to be 3,200 degrees Celsius (5,800 degrees Fahrenheit)," said lead author Monika Lendl, a scientist at the University of Geneva. Launched into Earth orbit in December, the CHEOPS space-based telescope spotted the gas giant circling close to one of the hottest known stars with a planetary system, according to a study published last week. PARIS - A European Space Agency satellite tasked with tracking down exoplanets has made its first big catch, a world so hot that its atmosphere could melt iron, astrophysicists have reported.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |