BIG PLANET DISCOVERED 50 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.Byline: Matt Crenson Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Astronomers announced the discovery of a Jupiter-size planet orbiting a nearby star last week, boosting their confidence that there are many more planets to be found - perhaps even some that harbor life. The object orbiting Rho Coronae Borealis Rho Coronae Borealis (ρ CrB / ρ Coronae Borealis) is a 5th magnitude star in the constellation of Corona Borealis. It is, like our Sun, a yellow dwarf (spectral type G0 V or G2 V) and only slightly brighter. is hardly the first to be discovered circling another star - depending on how you count, it's somewhere in the ninth to 13th range. But it is still significant, astronomers say, because it fills in a gap in their planet collection and reinforces their belief that more exist. The discovery was announced Thursday by Robert Noyes of the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical as·tro·phys·ics n. (used with a sing. verb) The branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of stellar phenomena. as Observatory and seven other astronomers. It is to be reported to be spoken of; to be mentioned, whether favorably or unfavorably. See also: Report in a future issue of Astrophysical Journal The Astrophysical Journal, often abbreviated to ApJ, is a scientific journal covering astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1895 by George Ellery Hale and James E. Keeler. It currently (October 2006) publishes three issues per month, with 500 pages per issue. Letters, a journal of the American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes pronounced "double-A-S") is a US society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. . ``It's a very nice discovery,'' said Alan Boss, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C. ``Even a single discovery like this can make people stop and rethink everything that's happened so far.'' The new planet lies about 23 million miles from its star, or about a quarter the distance from the sun to Earth. The star itself is close by astronomical standards, about 50 light years from Earth. Because the planet is closer to its star than Mercury is to the sun, its surface temperature is estimated at 400 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. That's much too hot to support life, but there's a good chance that more livable planets could be orbiting Rho Coronae Borealis or a similar star. ``There could well be many smaller planets in these systems that we just can't see by present techniques,'' Noyes said. Current technology can detect a planet of the size and at the distance of Jupiter or Saturn, but is not sophisticated enough to find Earth-like planets around other stars. To date, the planets that have been found around other stars fall into two broad categories, Boss said: hot Jupiters and cold Jupiters. Hot Jupiters orbit very close to their stars, within about 10 million miles, while cold Jupiters lie much farther out farther out Of or relating to an option contract with a later expiration date than a contract that is currently owned or being considered. For example, a contract with a May expiration date is farther out than a contract with a February expiration date of , at 100 million miles or more. |
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