spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


Extrasolar "waterworld" discovered
Posted: Thu, Dec 17, 2009, 6:21 AM ET (1121 GMT)
GJ1214 exoplanet illustration (CfA) Astronomers announced Wednesday the discovery of a super-Earth exoplanet that they believe is a watery, if inhospitable, world. Researchers reporting in the latest issue of the journal Nature announced the discovery of the planet orbiting GJ1214, a red dwarf star 40 light-years away. The planet is about 6.5 times the mass of the Earth and orbits the star every 38 hours, creating a surface temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Astronomers believe that the planet is likely surrounded by a dense atmosphere with a rocky, perhaps molten surface, but with an interior of water ice. Astronomers detected the planet using an array of small telescopes, similar to what's commercially available for amateur astronomers, that detected the change in brightness of the star as the planet transited in front of it as seen from the Earth.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
US and UK militaries conduct coordinated satellite maneuvers
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:30 AM ET (1230 GMT)

Blue Origin retires a New Shepard capsule after payload flight
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:25 AM ET (1225 GMT)

Astra planning first Rocket 4 launch in mid-2026
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:21 AM ET (1221 GMT)

news links
Thursday, October 16
Bad news about Starlink launch in South Africa
MyBroadband — 8:04 am ET (1204 GMT)
Are Falling Starlink Satellites Really Poisoning the Stratosphere?
The National Interest — 8:03 am ET (1203 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list