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One is a rocky planet 1.5 times the size of Earth. The other is a gaseous world nearly four times Earth's size.
Together they form a spectacular system in which two planets orbit closer to each other than any yet discovered.
"We've never known of planets like this," said Yale University astronomer Sarbani Basu, a member of the research team that analyzed the system.
"If you were on the smaller planet looking up, the larger planet would seem more than twice the size of Earth's full moon. It would be jaw-dropping."
Basu's research focused on determining the properties of the planets' host star -- work that was essential for discerning the characteristics of the orbiting planets.
The 46-member, international team, led by astronomers at Harvard and the University of Washington, report their discovery June 21 in Science Express,
the early release version of the journal Science.
"These two worlds are having close encounters," said Josh Carter, lead author of the paper and a Hubble Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Located about 1200 light years away, the two-planet system -- now called Kepler-36 -- orbits a star similar to Earth's sun, but bigger and older.
The larger outer planet, Kepler-36c, is a hot, gaseous, Neptune-like planet. The smaller inner planet, Kepler-36b,
is rocky and subject to quakes and volcanic eruptions caused by the interplay of the planets' gravitational forces on each other.
Like our sun, Kepler-36 pulsates constantly. Data on its quakes enabled the team to determine its size, weight, and age (all greater than those of our sun).
Knowing the star's radius and mass enabled the calculation of the sizes and masses of the planets. From this information, astronomers could determine the planets'
densities and characteristics: the smaller planet is denser than Earth and hence must be rocky; the larger planet is much less dense,
in fact less dense than water, suggesting it is gaseous.
"The precise determination of the planets' properties was possible because the star around which they revolve could be characterized precisely," said Basu.
Artist's conception showing Kepler-36c as it might look from the surface of Kepler-36b. (Credit: David Aguilar, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
The planets' proximity to each other is astonishing, according to the researchers. The rocky inner planet orbits its star every 14 days, at an
average distance of 11 million miles. The outer gaseous planet orbits every 16 days, at an average distance of 12 million miles.
Every 97 days they move into perfect alignment, a position known as conjunction. At that point they are separated by a mere 1.2 million miles --
less than five times the distance between Earth and its moon. By contrast, Venus, Earth's nearest neighbor, never comes closer than 26 million miles.
The research team identified the planets by analyzing data from NASA's Kepler satellite. Kepler detects planets by measuring variations
in the brightness of stars; dips in brightness may indicate a planet passing in front the star.
This discovery poses new challenges to the theories of planet formation. Astronomers are now trying to understand how planets with markedly
different compositions and densities fell into remarkably close orbit.
Earth-Like Alien Worlds Can Be Much Older Than Previously Expected
Building a terrestrial planet requires raw materials that weren't available in the early history of the universe.
The Big Bang filled space with hydrogen and helium. Chemical elements like silicon and oxygen - key components of rocks - had to be cooked up over time by stars.
But how long did that take? How many of such heavy elements do you need to form planets?
Ground-Breaking Discovery Suggests
Gravity May Not Be A Fundamental Force Of Nature
Can information really escape from a black hole? According to new research it seems to be possible for something to actually escape from a black hole.
If correct, the results are ground-breaking suggesting that gravity may not be a fundamental force of Nature after all!
Last Breaths Of Dying Star Captured
Last breaths of dying sun-like star have been captured by scientists using NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
The object observed by SOFIA, planetary nebula Minkowski 2-9, or M2-9 for short, is seen in this three-color composite image.
The SOFIA observations were made at the mid-infrared wavelengths of 20, 24, and 37 microns.
Though the universe is filled with billions upon billions of stars, the discovery of a single variable star in 1923 altered the
course of modern astronomy. And, at least one famous astronomer of the time lamented that the discovery had shattered his world view.
Bright Star In The Constellation Lyra Is Cooler Than The Human Body
The coldest class of stars have temperatures as cool as the human body.
Astronomers hunted these dark orbs, termed Y dwarfs, for more than a decade without success.
When viewed with a visible-light telescope, they are nearly impossible to see.
Thermonuclear Burning In A Neutron Star Detected For The First Time!
It's a very important discovery!
For the first time, an international team of scientists have detected all phases of thermonuclear burning in a
neutron star, located close to the center of the galaxy in the globular cluster Terzan 5.
MessageToEagle.com -
One is a rocky planet 1.5 times the size of Earth. The other is a gaseous world nearly four times Earth's size.
Together they form a spectacular system in which two planets orbit closer to each other than any yet discovered.
Building a terrestrial planet requires raw materials that weren't available in the early history of the universe.
The Big Bang filled space with hydrogen and helium. Chemical elements like silicon and oxygen - key components of rocks - had to be cooked up over time by stars.
But how long did that take? How many of such heavy elements do you need to form planets?
Can information really escape from a black hole? According to new research it seems to be possible for something to actually escape from a black hole.
Last breaths of dying sun-like star have been captured by scientists using NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
The object observed by SOFIA, planetary nebula Minkowski 2-9, or M2-9 for short, is seen in this three-color composite image.
The SOFIA observations were made at the mid-infrared wavelengths of 20, 24, and 37 microns.
Though the universe is filled with billions upon billions of stars, the discovery of a single variable star in 1923 altered the
course of modern astronomy. And, at least one famous astronomer of the time lamented that the discovery had shattered his world view.
The coldest class of stars have temperatures as cool as the human body.
Astronomers hunted these dark orbs, termed Y dwarfs, for more than a decade without success.
When viewed with a visible-light telescope, they are nearly impossible to see.
It's a very important discovery!
For the first time, an international team of scientists have detected all phases of thermonuclear burning in a
neutron star, located close to the center of the galaxy in the globular cluster Terzan 5.