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Getbig Main Boards => General Topics => Topic started by: 24KT on June 16, 2008, 08:05:34 AM
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Astronomers find batch of 'super-Earths'
Posted 2 hours 16 minutes ago
European researchers say they have discovered a batch of three "super-Earths" orbiting a nearby star, and two other solar systems with small planets as well.
They say their findings, presented at a conference in France, suggest that Earth-like planets may be very common.
"Does every single star harbour planets and, if yes, how many?" asked Michel Mayor of Switzerland's Geneva Observatory.
"We may not yet know the answer but we are making huge progress towards it."
The trio of planets orbit a star slightly less massive than our Sun, 42 light-years away towards the southern Doradus and Pictor constellations.
A light-year is the distance light can travel in one year at a speed of about 300,000 km a second, or about 9.5 trillion km.
The planets are bigger than Earth - one is 4.2 times the mass, one is 6.7 times and the third is 9.4 times.
They orbit their star at extremely rapid speeds - one whizzing around in just four days, compared with Earth's 365 days, one taking 10 days and the slowest taking 20 days.
Professor Mayor and colleagues used the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher or HARPS, a telescope at La Silla observatory in Chile, to find the planets.
More than 270 so-called exoplanets have been found. Most are giants, resembling Jupiter or Saturn. Smaller planets closer to the size of Earth are far more difficult to spot.
None can be imaged directly at such distances but can be spotted indirectly using radio waves or, in the case of HARPS, spectrographic measurements.
As a planet orbits, it makes the star wobble very slightly and this can be measured.
"With the advent of much more precise instruments such as the HARPS spectrograph ... we can now discover smaller planets, with masses between 2 and 10 times the Earth's mass," said Stephane Udry, who also worked on the study.
The team also say they have found a planet 7.5 times the mass of Earth orbiting the star HD 181433 in 9.5 days.
This star also has a Jupiter-like planet that orbits every three years.
Another solar system has a planet 22 times the mass of Earth, orbiting every four days, and a Saturn-like planet with a 3-year period.
"Clearly these planets are only the tip of the iceberg," said Professor Mayor.
"The analysis of all the stars studied with HARPS shows that about one third of all solar-like stars have either super-Earth or Neptune-like planets with orbital periods shorter than 50 days."
- Reuters
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cool I like stories like this
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me too
xL
there have been more than a few lately. maybe we'll find that outer space intelligence?
There was a guy on the BBC the other morning from the Defensive Unit, some Government Office, (he was the ex-head guy, recently retired,) stating specifically that he was 99pc certain that the new documents they've just released from the Royal Air Force pilots prove that there are UFO's out there. Think it's called the MOD. Uh huh, it's the Ministry of Defense.
It's all listed on a new website, they've published the reports from the last 25 or 50 years...
Oh and I've even read my stars: It's a full moon and Mercury goes back into its proper other way round its orbitation tonight.
I'm fairly certain they'll find other intelligent life & I'm praying that they'll do it in my lifetime. The 2nd coming? i'm ready. It'd be so nice.
x's
LOL
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thanx for the info judi! 8)
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Oh and I've even read my stars: It's a full moon and Mercury goes back into its proper other way round its orbitation tonight.
And that is all?
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of course it's not, read the f**king thing...
Astronomers find batch of 'super-Earths'
European researchers say they have discovered a batch of three "super-Earths" orbiting a nearby star, and two other solar systems with small planets as well.
They say their findings, presented at a conference in France, suggest that Earth-like planets may be very common.
"Does every single star harbour planets and, if yes, how many?" asked Michel Mayor of Switzerland's Geneva Observatory.
"We may not yet know the answer but we are making huge progress towards it."
The trio of planets orbit a star slightly less massive than our Sun, 42 light-years away towards the southern Doradus and Pictor constellations.
A light-year is the distance light can travel in one year at a speed of about 300,000 km a second, or about 9.5 trillion km.
The planets are bigger than Earth - one is 4.2 times the mass, one is 6.7 times and the third is 9.4 times.
They orbit their star at extremely rapid speeds - one whizzing around in just four days, compared with Earth's 365 days, one taking 10 days and the slowest taking 20 days.
Professor Mayor and colleagues used the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher or HARPS, a telescope at La Silla observatory in Chile, to find the planets.
More than 270 so-called exoplanets have been found. Most are giants, resembling Jupiter or Saturn. Smaller planets closer to the size of Earth are far more difficult to spot.
None can be imaged directly at such distances but can be spotted indirectly using radio waves or, in the case of HARPS, spectrographic measurements.
As a planet orbits, it makes the star wobble very slightly and this can be measured.
"With the advent of much more precise instruments such as the HARPS spectrograph ... we can now discover smaller planets, with masses between 2 and 10 times the Earth's mass," said Stephane Udry, who also worked on the study.
The team also say they have found a planet 7.5 times the mass of Earth orbiting the star HD 181433 in 9.5 days.
This star also has a Jupiter-like planet that orbits every three years.
Another solar system has a planet 22 times the mass of Earth, orbiting every four days, and a Saturn-like planet with a 3-year period.
"Clearly these planets are only the tip of the iceberg," said Professor Mayor.
"The analysis of all the stars studied with HARPS shows that about one third of all solar-like stars have either super-Earth or Neptune-like planets with orbital periods shorter than 50 days."
- Reuters
via Judi, who is able to read and is also able to fully comprehend and post amazing posts !
xL
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did you want a donut or something? if so you're on the wrong thread.
x
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do they have oil on those planets?
and if so, have residents of these planets been trying to buy yellow cake lately?
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I hear the women on the planet have a third titty, I'm up for a little space travel
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I hear the women on the planet have a third titty, I'm up for a little space travel
They're also dual-anal.
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They're also dual-anal.
Whats the use of that without 2 cocks? I guess you could finger the other.
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Whats the use of that without 2 cocks? I guess you could finger the other.
yeah, and talk to it or something
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pretty interesting stuff
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pretty interesting stuff
the dual asshole thing?
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;D
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But why is they called "super-earths"
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so we can find new planets 42 light years away, and we still cant find Bin Laden
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Maybe one of these "Earth-like" planets contains a being with an IQ comparable to that of Jag's (160) so that she can finally have a meaningful conversation with someone with equal intelligence?
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But why is they called "super-earths"
Cause they are super ;D
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Cause they are super ;D
But superman is a Kryptonian