A prefect location for the GZ mosque. Barry
> _Cool Astronomy_ (http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/Cool-Astronomy) > Exoplanets - as many of seven of them - spotted in newfound star system > Exoplanets abound in the orbits around the star HD 10180. European > astronomers have spotted at least five planets, with evidence that two > others may > be present. > > > > Artists impression shows the planetary system around the Sun-like star HD > 10180. > (L. Calçada/ESO/AP) > > > > ____________________________________ > > By _Nancy Atkinson_ > (http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/print/About/Contact-Us-Feedback) , > CSMonitor.com > posted August 25, 2010 at 12:35 pm EDT > > There is another _Sun_ (http://www.universetoday.com/16338/the-sun/) -like > _star_ (http://www.universetoday.com/24184/stars/) out there with an > intriguing family of _planets_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/35923/planet/) > orbiting about and it could be the closest parallel to our own _solar > system_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/15451/the-solar-system/) that astronomers > have > found yet. European astronomers discovered a planetary system containing > at > least five planets, orbiting the star HD 10180, with evidence that two > other planets may be present. If confirmed, one of those would have the > lowest > mass ever found. > “We have found what is most likely the system with the most planets yet > discovered,” says Christophe Lovis, who led the team. “This remarkable > discovery also highlights the fact that we are now entering a new era in > _exoplanet_ (http://www.universetoday.com/42537/exoplanet/) research: the > study of > complex planetary systems and not just of individual planets. Studies of > planetary motions in the new system reveal complex gravitational > interactions > between _the planets_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/15502/planets-in-the-solar-system/) and > give us insights into the long-term evolution of the > system.” > To make this system even more intriguing, the team also found evidence > that > the distances of the planets from their star follow a regular pattern, as > also seen in _our Solar System_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/43827/our-solar-system/) . “This could be a > signature of the formation process of these > planetary systems,” said team member Michel Mayor. > _IN PICTURES: Planets_ > (http://www.csmonitor.com/CSM-Photo-Galleries/CSM-Galleries/Planets) > HD 10180, is located 127 _light years_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/56474/light-years/) away in the southern > _constellation_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/19516/constellations/) of _Hydrus_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/20975/hydrus/) . The five confirmed planets > are large, about the _size of > Neptune_ (http://www.universetoday.com/22044/size-of-neptune/) — between > 13 and > 25 _Earth_ (http://www.universetoday.com/14367/earth/) masses —with > orbital periods ranging from between six and 600 days. The planets’ > distances > from the star ranges from 0.06 and 1.4 times the Earth–_Sun distance_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/18043/distance-to-the-sun/) . > “We also have good reasons to believe that two other planets are present,” > said Lovis. One would be a _Saturn_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/15298/saturn/) -like _planet_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/35923/planet/) (with a > minimum mass of 65 Earth masses) orbiting in 2200 days. The other would > be > the least massive exoplanet ever discovered, with a mass of about 1.4 > times > that of the Earth. It is very close to its host star, at just 2 percent > of > the Earth–Sun distance. One “year” on this planet would last only 1.18 > Earth-days. > “This object causes a wobble of its star of only about 3 km/hour— slower > than walking speed — and this motion is very hard to measure,” says team > member Damien Ségransan. If confirmed, this object would be another > example > of a hot _rocky planet_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/10596/large-rocky-planet-discovered/) , > similar to _Corot_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/59235/corot/) -7b. > The team used the planet-finding HARPS spectrograph, attached to ESO’s > 3.6-metre _telescope_ (http://www.universetoday.com/14424/telescopes/) at > La > Silla, Chile, and made observations of HD 10180 for six years. > The newly discovered system of planets around HD 10180 is unique in > several > respects. First of all, with at least five _Neptune_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/21581/neptune/) -like planets lying within a > distance equivalent > to the _orbit_ (http://www.universetoday.com/34665/orbit/) of _Mars_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/14701/mars/) , this system is more populated > than our > _Solar_ (http://www.universetoday.com/47756/solar/) System in its inner > region, and has many more massive planets there. Furthermore, the system > probably has no _Jupiter_ (http://www.universetoday.com/14469/jupiter/) > -like > _gas giant_ (http://www.universetoday.com/43300/gas-giant/) . In addition, > _all the planets_ (http://www.universetoday.com/36532/all-the-planets/) > seem > to have almost circular _orbits_ > (http://www.universetoday.com/34665/orbit/) > . > With this new announcement, the total number of exoplanets found is 472. > > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
