Five-exoplanet system observed
AUG 25, 2010
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.024616
BBC : A team at the European Southern Observatory has discovered a planetary system 127 light-years away, with at least five planets orbiting a Sun-like star (HD 10180)âmdash;and a possible two more planets, one of which could be about the same mass as Earth. The researchers, whose results were published this month in Astronomy and Astrophysics , used ESO’s High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher instrument to measure changes in the movement, or “wobble,” of the star in order to determine the number of planets, their masses, and even their orbits. According to the researchers, the complexity and structure of the system are intriguing, and the discovery indicates a growing trend toward studying planetary systems rather than individual planets.
© 2010 American Institute of Physics
