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Nasa's Kepler telescope finds planet orbiting two suns | Nasa's Kepler telescope finds planet orbiting two suns |
(4 days later) | |
A planet orbiting two suns - the first confirmed alien world of its kind - has been found by Nasa's Kepler telescope, the US space agency announced. | A planet orbiting two suns - the first confirmed alien world of its kind - has been found by Nasa's Kepler telescope, the US space agency announced. |
It may resemble the planet Tatooine from the film Star Wars, but scientists say Luke Skywalker, or anyone at all, is unlikely to be living there. | It may resemble the planet Tatooine from the film Star Wars, but scientists say Luke Skywalker, or anyone at all, is unlikely to be living there. |
Named Kepler-16b, it is thought to be an uninhabitable cold gas giant, like Saturn. | Named Kepler-16b, it is thought to be an uninhabitable cold gas giant, like Saturn. |
The newly detected body lies some 200 light years from Earth. | The newly detected body lies some 200 light years from Earth. |
Though there have been hints in the past that planets circling double stars might exist - "circumbinary planets", as they are known - scientists say this is the first confirmation. | Though there have been hints in the past that planets circling double stars might exist - "circumbinary planets", as they are known - scientists say this is the first confirmation. |
It means when the day ends on Kepler-16b, there is a double sunset, they say. | It means when the day ends on Kepler-16b, there is a double sunset, they say. |
'Stunning' | 'Stunning' |
Kepler-16b's two suns are smaller than ours - at 69% and 20% of the mass of our Sun - making the surface temperature an estimated -100 to -70C (-150 to -100F). | |
The planet orbits its two suns every 229 days at a distance of 65m miles (104m km) - about the same distance out as Venus. | The planet orbits its two suns every 229 days at a distance of 65m miles (104m km) - about the same distance out as Venus. |
The Kepler telescope, launched in 2009, is designed to scour our section of the Milky Way for Earth-like planets. | The Kepler telescope, launched in 2009, is designed to scour our section of the Milky Way for Earth-like planets. |
"This is really a stunning measurement by Kepler," said Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution for Science near Washington DC, a co-author of the study. | "This is really a stunning measurement by Kepler," said Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution for Science near Washington DC, a co-author of the study. |
"The real exciting thing is there's a planet sitting out there orbiting around these two stars." | "The real exciting thing is there's a planet sitting out there orbiting around these two stars." |
Kepler finds stars whose light is regularly dimmed when an orbiting planet passes between the star and the telescope. | Kepler finds stars whose light is regularly dimmed when an orbiting planet passes between the star and the telescope. |
In this case, the team was also able to observe dimming when one star passed in front of the other. | In this case, the team was also able to observe dimming when one star passed in front of the other. |
Nasa's scientists saw additional dips in the light in both stars at alternating but regular times, confirming the dual orbit of the planet. | Nasa's scientists saw additional dips in the light in both stars at alternating but regular times, confirming the dual orbit of the planet. |
Data collected by the Kepler telescope allows for very precise measurements of the mass, radius and trajectories of all three bodies - the best ever estimates of a extra-solar planet. | Data collected by the Kepler telescope allows for very precise measurements of the mass, radius and trajectories of all three bodies - the best ever estimates of a extra-solar planet. |
The finding was reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science. | The finding was reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science. |