Astronomers are thrilled with a new discovery: a planet the size
of Jupiter and similar in structure to some of those orbiting our sun.
The new orb has been dubbed CoRoT-9b, and lies 1,500 light years away
from our solar system, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Berlin told
the DPA news agency Wednesday.
The newly discovered planet – named after the CoRoT space telescope
that first discovered it – takes about 95 days to orbit its star,
CoRoT-9, in the Serpens constellation. By comparison, it takes Mercury
88 days to orbit our sun.
"It's the first extrasolar planet where we are quite sure it is
fairly similar to one in our own solar system, and it's the first
extrasolar planet where we can test models that we have developed for
solar system planets," lead researcher Hans Deeg of the Institute of
Astrophysics on Spain's Atlantic archipelago of the Canary Islands, told
AFP.
However, those hoping the newly discovered sphere is a small, rocky
planet with a breathable atmosphere and potable water are out of luck.
CoRoT-9b is a giant gas ball with a mass about 80 percent of Jupiter.
There is good news. Most "Gas Jupiters," as they are known, have surface
temperatures that can reach up to 1,800 degrees Celsius, due to their
proximity to their suns. CoRoT-9b, on the other hand, has a relatively
cool surface temperature of between -20 and 160 degrees Celsius,
research published by the journal Nature states.
"This is the first (exoplanet) whose properties we can study in
depth," Claire Moutou, one of 60 astronomers who took part in the
discovery, told the AFP news agency. She added that "it is bound to
become a Rosetta Stone in exoplanet research."
Research continues
Bildunterschrift:
Großansicht des Bildes
mit der Bildunterschrift: The
European satellite telescope CoRoT surveys the inside of stars and
searches for planets in other solar systems
Researchers will likely continue to gather information about the
planet, as it is one of only 70 such exoplanets that transit directly
between the star and the telescope. This allows the star's light to pass
through the planet's atmosphere, transmitting the telescope information
about the planet's size and chemical composition.
Something already discovered from such planetary observation, Deeg
said, is that the variation in the types of planets that orbit close to
their star is quite large.
"For instance, Venus was probably apt for life in its early phases
before a greenhouse effect set in and elevated temperatures by several
hundred degrees," he said.
With this new discovery, understanding of the chemistry of low
temperatures may grow so much that it could open up a completely new
research field on atmospherically cool and moderate planets, Didier
Queloz, co-author of the study, told DPA.
"Our explorations have yielded more information about CoRoT-9b, than
ever discovered about any other exoplanets," Queloz added.
An exoplanet is the name scientists give to planets outside our solar
system. The first such planet was discovered in 1995, with more than
400 others found in the years since.
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Editor: Mark Mattox
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