Wednesday, August 09, 2017

Tau Ceti

Astronomers have found four planets similar in size to Earth orbiting a star resembling the characteristics of the sun.
An international team of astronomers detected the four planets with masses as low as 1.7 Earth masses orbiting tau Ceti, a star about 12 light years away from Earth and visible to the naked eye.
The discovery represents the smallest planets ever detected around nearby sun-like stars, with two of the planets located in the habitable zone of the star and possibly able to support liquid surface water.
The astronomers found the planets by observing the wobbles in the movement of tau Ceti, which required techniques sensitive enough to detect variations in the movement of the star as small as 30 centimeters per second.
“We are now finally crossing a threshold where, through very sophisticated modeling of large combined data sets from multiple independent observers, we can disentangle the noise due to stellar surface activity from the very tiny signals generated by the gravitational tugs from Earth-sized orbiting planets,” Steven Vogt, Ph.D., a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California Santa Cruz and co-author of the study, said in a statement.

R&D Magazine.  

12 comments:

Lawyerliz said...

Yeah#!!

Lawyerliz said...

Hub sez cool.

Rob Dawg said...

It has been a busy time. There is light at the end if the tunnel. Or an incoming train.

Trying to sell the baby bird's bedroom furniture on Craigslist. The first inquiry bought it sight unseen full price from 2800 miles away. Just needed my Paypal details. Yeah right. What is wrong with people?

LBD said...

Have you had the merchant marine wanting to pay more then the full price but needs your bank info to send you the money. LOL!

LBD said...

WE still should be on the moon before worrying about more suns and planets. IMO
Pretty cool anyway.

Rob Dawg said...

Saddest evah. It would have taken one extra space shuttle lauch early on to low orbit a tug that could bring the external fuel tank to a stable orbit including the thousands of gallons of residual fuel.

Don't get me started on the derision my inflatable habitat concept received.

Lawyerliz said...

Ghandi quote.

Lawyerliz said...

We need an honorable enemy to compete against. Maybe it can be China

LBD said...

Maybe China is using NK dough boy for an excuse to start a war and end up with a land grab.

Rob Dawg said...

No doubt Chicomm will "insist" upon a strong presence in post Kim NK.

Lawyerliz said...

Good morning.😀.

Lawyerliz said...

I don't care. Let them grab away. At least the people will stop starving.