Posted on 07/31/2015 10:02:33 AM PDT by Red Badger
This artist's rendition released by NASA on July 30, 2015 shows one possible appearance for the planet HD 219134b
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Astronomers said Thursday they had found a planetary system with three super-Earths orbiting a bright, dwarf star—one of them likely a volcanic world of molten rock.
The four-planet system had been hiding out in the M-shaped, northern hemisphere constellation Cassiopeia, "just" 21 light years from Earth, a team reported in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
It comprises four planets—one giant and three super-Earths orbiting a star dubbed HD219134.
Super-Earths have a mass higher than Earth's but are lighter than gas giants like Neptune, Saturn or Jupiter. They can be made of gas, rock, or both.
The planet with the shortest orbit, HD219134b, zips around every three days, and has now been observed transiting across the face of its star as seen from the vantage point of Earth.
Measurements from the ground and with NASA's Spitzer space telescope showed its mass was 4.5 times higher than Earth's, and that it was 1.6 times larger.
"Its mean density is close to the density of Earth, suggesting a possibly similar composition as well," said a press statement from the University of Geneva, whose astronomers took part in the research.
"It's very close to the star. The temperature is about 700 degrees" Kelvin (427 Celsius, 800 Fahrenheit), study co-author Stephane Udry told AFP.
"Probably the surface is melting... kind of a melted lava world with volcanoes... not good for life."
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This artist's rendition released by NASA on July 30, 2015 shows a sky map with the location of the star HD 219134 (circle), host to the nearest confirmed rocky planet found to date outside of our solar system
=================================================================================================================== It was not in the so-called "habitable zone" of its star, and would not have liquid water necessary for life.
But HD219134b is exciting for another reason: it is the closest transiting planet known to scientists, and thus offers a rare opportunity for further study of its composition and atmosphere against the backdrop of its star.
"These transiting systems are especially interesting in that they allow characterisation of the atmosphere of the planet (by studying) the light of the star going through the atmosphere," Udry said.
And the system is relatively near at a distance of 21 light years from Earth. By comparison, the closest star to our Sun is three light years away, and the second six light years.
Among HD219134b's fellow planets, the second furthest from the star weighs 2.7 times as much as Earth and orbits in 6.8 days, the next is 8.7 times more massive than Earth with a 47-day orbit.
A giant planet further out orbits once every three years, the team said.
Explore further: Possible water in the atmosphere of a super-Earth
Journal reference: Astronomy & Astrophysics
XO-Planet Ping!......................
Hmmmm....just 21 light years away. If they start out, now....
800 degrees Fahrenheit. Great place to work on your tan by the ocean. Oops. No oceans exist at 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now THAT is Glowbull Warming!...........................
What happened? Did they spill orange kool-aid on it?
That’s pretty close to the star my wife bought me for my birthday a few years ago. So don’t any of you get the bright idea of dropping by. Stay off of my lawn!!!!
Oh the hugh manatee.
Time to ban incandescent light bulbs here, before it gets any hooter there.
Telescopes invert the images...................
So how can they know so little about Pluto, but seemingly know so much about planets 21 light years away?
A planet made of diamond could happen, but the process to create that would be pretty extreme
We have a Hooter’s here...............8^)
So, nothing like Earth.... they need a new name
Pluto never transits the Sun from our viewpoint.....................
Gravitationally Challenged Earths?.....................
For one thing, Pluto doesn’t come between the Sun and us very often. So transits are out.
How much do i have to offer a UFO to drop me off on the nearest habitable planet other than earth?
At 700 deg, the planet is closer to Venus than Earth.
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