Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




EXO WORLDS
Distant planet found circling with 4 stars
by Staff Writers
Honolulu (UPI) Oct 15, 2012


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

Two U.S. citizen scientists have discovered a planet in a system with four different suns, the first known of its type, U.S. and British astronomers say.

The distant planet orbits one pair of stars while a second pair of stars orbits around it, they said.

The planet was discovered by two U.S. volunteers using the Planethunters.org website who spotted faint dips in light caused by the planet "transiting," or passing in front of, its parent stars.

U.S. and British astronomers then confirmed the discovery of the planet, thought to be a "gas giant" slightly larger than Neptune and more than six times the size of the Earth, with the Keck telescopes in Hawaii.

Astronomers say they're puzzled by how the planet avoids being pulled apart by the gravitational forces of its four stars.

"All four stars pulling on it creates a very complicated environment," Chris Lintott from the University of Oxford told BBC News. "Yet there it sits in an apparently stable orbit."

"That's really confusing, which is one of the things which makes this discovery so fun. It's absolutely not what we would have expected."

.


Related Links
Lands Beyond Beyond - extra solar planets - news and science
Life Beyond Earth






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








EXO WORLDS
Nearby Super-Earth Likely a Diamond Planet
New Haven, CT (SPX) Oct 12, 2012
New research led by Yale University scientists suggests that a rocky planet twice Earth's size orbiting a nearby star is a diamond planet. "This is our first glimpse of a rocky world with a fundamentally different chemistry from Earth," said lead researcher Nikku Madhusudhan, a Yale postdoctoral researcher in physics and astronomy. "The surface of this planet is likely covered in graphite ... read more


EXO WORLDS
University of Tennessee study confirms solar wind as source for moon water

Russia to launch lunar mission in 2015

Moon water could have solar source: study

Solar wind particles likely source of water locked inside lunar soils

EXO WORLDS
NMSU Graduate Student Looks For Indications Of Life On Mars In Possible Trace Methane Gas

Rover's Second Scoop Discarded, Third Scoop Commanded

Robotic Arm Tools Get To Work On Rock Outcrop

Curiosity Preparing for Second Scoop

EXO WORLDS
Austrian space diver no stranger to danger

Baumgartner feat boosts hopes for imperilled astronauts

Austrian breaks sound barrier in record space jump

Austrian daredevil to make new space jump bid

EXO WORLDS
China launches civilian technology satellites

ChangE-2 Mission To Lagrange L2 Point

Meeting of heads of ESA and China Manned Space Agency

China Spacesat gets 18-million-USD gov't support

EXO WORLDS
Crew Unloads Dragon, Finds Treats

Station Crew Opens Dragon Hatch

NASA and International Partners Approve Year Long ISS Stay

Year on ISS planned ahead of manned Mars mission

EXO WORLDS
AFSPC commander convenes AIB

Proton Lofts Intelsat 23 For Americas, Europe and Africa Markets

India to launch 58 space missions in next 5 years

SpaceX Dragon Successfully Attaches To Space Station

EXO WORLDS
Ultra-Compact Planetary System Is A Touchstone For Understanding New Planet Population

Nearest Star Has Earth Mass Planet

Distant planet found circling with 4 stars

Nearby Super-Earth Likely a Diamond Planet

EXO WORLDS
ESA deploys first orbital debris test radar in Spain

Boeing Proposes Gas Clouds to Remove Space Debris

Microsoft to price new tablet near same as iPad

UNH scientists provide window on space radiation hazards




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement