Smallest extrasolar planet discovery is quite chilly
29 January 2006
by Carina
Lee
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An extrasolar planet has been discovered to be five times the size of Earth, according to an international team of astrophysicists. An extrasolar planet or exoplanet is defined as a planet that does not belong to our solar system because it orbits a star other than the Sun. This newly discovered planet orbits its parent star every 10 years and is more Earth-like compared to all previous exoplanet discoveries. The parent star is five times smaller than the Sun leaving the planet with a cold surface temperature of around -220°C degrees. This would also indicate the absence of water in its liquid state. Kem Cook is an astronomer from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and he explains "That fact that we stumbled on one means there are thousands of them out there." The team of researchers used Albert Einstein's 1936 idea, a technique known as microlensing, to observe the different stars. Microlensing works by using the gravitational interaction with light to track down the planets. A star behind a planet appears brighter due to the gravitational lens effect. This breakthrough may better the understanding of scientists when looking to find life on other planets. However Cook explains, "The microlensing technique is not going to find nearby planets. We're not going to discover planets to which NASA can fly. Microlensing can tell us how common planets are in distant parts of the galaxy and probe details of planetary formation that other techniques cannot." |
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Related Links
Original press release from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories
Nature
& Science News
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