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| ESO’s 3.6 m diameter telescope is situated in La Silla, Chile. Fitted with the HARPS (High Accuracy velocity Planet Searcher) spectrograph, it can measure the shifts that a planet “inflicts” on its star by orbiting it. (Picture from: http://www.enjoyspace.com/) |
European astronomers announced recently they have discovered 50 new planets, 16 of them given the title of Super-Earths. One and even potentially habitable planet, so be prepared to migrate to a new planet bigger than Earth.
The existence of alien planets outside our solar system were reported at a meeting of the Solar System Extremes in Grand Teton National Park Wyoming United States. Astronomy experts find a new planet using a telescope with High Accuracy Radical velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) in Chile. Over the last eight years, this instrument has helped astronomers find new planets 150.
Super-Earths size bigger than our planet, but not for the planet "ice giants" Neptune, in particular, an Earth-like planet HD 85512b or thought to have a mass about 3.6 times as much of the earth. The planet is also quite close to its star so that no water is considered essential for human life.
The existence of alien planets outside our solar system were reported at a meeting of the Solar System Extremes in Grand Teton National Park Wyoming United States. Astronomy experts find a new planet using a telescope with High Accuracy Radical velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) in Chile. Over the last eight years, this instrument has helped astronomers find new planets 150.Super-Earths size bigger than our planet, but not for the planet "ice giants" Neptune, in particular, an Earth-like planet HD 85512b or thought to have a mass about 3.6 times as much of the earth. The planet is also quite close to its star so that no water is considered essential for human life.
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| Earth-like planet HD 85512b (Picture from: http://www.planeten.ch/) |
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| This diagram shows the habitable zone of 3 stars: our Sun (top), that of HD 85512 (around which the super-Earth HD 85512 b was found) and that of Gliese 581 which includes several extrasolar planets. It is worthy of note that HD 85512 b is right on the edge of the habitable zone of its star which is slightly smaller than our Sun. The distances are shown in AU, Astronomical Units; one AU is equal to the distance between the Earth and the Sun (150 million km). (Picture from: http://www.enjoyspace.com/) |
HD 85512b is detected far from the limit of HARPS instrument and demonstrated the possibility of finding other Super-Earth habitable around a star similar to the sun, "said the HARPS team leader Michel Mayor of Switzerland University of Geneva in the press release. The planet HD 85512b officially discovered in August has mileage 35 light years away in the constellation Vela.
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University of Geneva astronomer Michel Mayor, left, and Swiss astrophysicist Stephane Udry, right, hold an artist's impression of the planetary system around the red dwarf Gliese 581. (Picture from: http://www.smh.com.au/)
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The temperature of the planet's estimated to be about 25 degrees Celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit. *** [ENJOYSPACE.COM | AP | SRI | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 29092011]
