Kepler discovers rocky exoplanet
Posted: Tue, Jan 11, 2011, 7:43 AM ET (1243 GMT)
Scientists announced Monday the discovery of the first "unequivocally rocky" extrasolar planet with a density similar to iron. The planet, designated Kepler-10b, is about 1.4 times the diameter of the Earth but 4.6 times the mass, giving it a density of 8.8 grams per cubic centimeter. That density, scientists said, means the planet is certainly a rocky world, and not a gaseous planet. NASA's Kepler spacecraft detected the planet by observing brief, periodic decreases in brightness as the planet transited across the star's disk as seen from the spacecraft. The planet orbits very closely to the star, completing one orbit in just over 20 hours, giving it an estimated surface temperature of 1,500 degrees Celsius.
Scientists announced Monday the discovery of the first "unequivocally rocky" extrasolar planet with a density similar to iron. The planet, designated Kepler-10b, is about 1.4 times the diameter of the Earth but 4.6 times the mass, giving it a density of 8.8 grams per cubic centimeter. That density, scientists said, means the planet is certainly a rocky world, and not a gaseous planet. NASA's Kepler spacecraft detected the planet by observing brief, periodic decreases in brightness as the planet transited across the star's disk as seen from the spacecraft. The planet orbits very closely to the star, completing one orbit in just over 20 hours, giving it an estimated surface temperature of 1,500 degrees Celsius.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Thales and Airbus to build next-generation radar imaging satellites
Posted: Sat, Jun 13 10:02 AM ET (1402 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Monday, June 15
China's Lijian-1 rocket sends 8 satellites into orbit
CGTN — 5:39 am ET (0939 GMT) Lithuania to host European Space Education Resource Office
LRT — 5:39 am ET (0939 GMT) Russia’s satellite moves push Europe to rethink space defense
TVP World — 5:38 am ET (0938 GMT) SpaceX to launch rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday morning
KSBY-TV San Luis Obispo, CA — 5:36 am ET (0936 GMT) Emboldened by SpaceX, Investors Are Piling Into All Things Space
Wall Street Journal — 5:33 am ET (0933 GMT) |
