Spacecraft finds its first exoplanet
Posted: Mon, May 7, 2007, 8:27 AM ET (1227 GMT)
A French spacecraft launched late last year has discovered its first extrasolar planet, raising hopes that the satellite will be able to discover smaller, Earth-like exoplanets. The Corot spacecraft, developed by the French space agency CNES with ESA participation and launched into Earth orbit in late 2006, detected the exoplanet around a star 1,500 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Monoceros. Corot found the exoplanet, estimated to weigh about 1.3 Jupiter masses, when it transited across the star's disk, temporarily dimming the star by a minute amount. The detection suggests that the spacecraft's instruments will be sensitive enough to detect planets as small as the Earth using the same technique.
A French spacecraft launched late last year has discovered its first extrasolar planet, raising hopes that the satellite will be able to discover smaller, Earth-like exoplanets. The Corot spacecraft, developed by the French space agency CNES with ESA participation and launched into Earth orbit in late 2006, detected the exoplanet around a star 1,500 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Monoceros. Corot found the exoplanet, estimated to weigh about 1.3 Jupiter masses, when it transited across the star's disk, temporarily dimming the star by a minute amount. The detection suggests that the spacecraft's instruments will be sensitive enough to detect planets as small as the Earth using the same technique.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, August 29
How will NASA’s Roman Space Telescope see exoplanets?
Scientific American — 5:20 am ET (0920 GMT) Where are all the aliens? A new book explores possible answers
Scientific American — 5:18 am ET (0918 GMT) Ten cosmic discoveries we’ll get from NASA’s Roman Space Telescope
Scientific American — 5:18 am ET (0918 GMT) Trump signs order to create a US Space Academy
Reuters — 5:16 am ET (0916 GMT) Where and when to see 2027’s ‘solar eclipse of the century’
New Scientist — 5:16 am ET (0916 GMT) |
