To date, scientists have discovered over 300 exoplanets, which are planets orbiting stars other than our own sun. Recently, a group of astronomers may have detected another one, as
Universe Today reports. In and of itself, that's not news--except that this one may be
in another galaxy.
It turns out that one specific star in the Andromeda Galaxy--which is over two million light-years away--has some kind of object orbiting it that's about six times the mass of Jupiter. At that size and distance, it could be either a planet or a brown dwarf star, but astronomers are leaning toward the former.
To find the exoplanet, the report said that the astronomers used a technique called pixel-lensing, which is essentially gravitational microlensing: looking for bent light rays when they pass close to a massive object, as per Einstein's general theory of relativity. (Image credit: NASA/Tony Hallas)
Mixx It
Digg It
Stumble
More...
June 11, 2009 11:48 AM
Wow! That's awesome news!
Also, maybe we'll get a closer look as Andromeda and the Milky Way steam towards each other over the next hundred million years or so. :D
Love the description of gravitational microlensing, too - I may have to say it that way next time I have to explain it to someone - I always wind up hitting a whiteboard. XD
June 11, 2009 12:00 PM
Of course, even if they can prove that it's a planet they are seeing, that doesn't mean there's a planet there. It just means a planet WAS there some 2 million years ago.
June 13, 2009 6:32 PM
The universe is amazing and will give up its secrets when we are ready. Worlds exists in other galaxies beyond our own...with intelligent life...perhaps not as we expect or understand it...for the energy is different and the intellegent life exists on a higher plane...as energy capable of comprehending our measley existance...