Friday, December 18, 2009

Waterworld Discovered Transiting a Nearby Star

Artists conception of a super-Earth orbiting GJ1214, a nearby star, 40 light years away.
Astronomers announced today that they have discovered a "super-Earth" orbiting a red dwarf star only 40 light-years from Earth. They found this nearby planet with a small fleet of ground-based telescopes no larger than those many amateur astronomers have in their backyards. Although the super-Earth is too hot to sustain life, the discovery shows that current, ground-based technologies are capable of finding almost-Earth-sized planets in warm, life-friendly orbits.
The ...

More at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116099&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51

No comments:

Post a Comment