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ThreesuperEarthsfound21lightyearsfromEarthTheHindu

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SCITECHSCIENCE

Geneva,August2,2015

ThreesuperEarthsfound21lightyearsfromEarth
PTI

NASA
Thisartist'srenditionshowsonepossibleappearancefortheplanetHD219134b,thenearestconfirmedrockyexoplanetfoundtodateoutside
oursolarsystem.
AnewsecretplanetarysystemthatincludesthreesuperEarthsandoneoutergiantplanethasbeendiscoveredbyastronomersatadistance
ofjust21lightyearsfromEarth.
Theremarkablesystem,namedHD219134,intheconstellationCassiopeiahostsoneoutergiantplanetandthreeinnersuperEarths,oneof
whichtransitsinfrontofthestar.
ThetransitingsuperEarthhasadensitysimilartotheEarths.Itisbyfartheclosesttransitingplanetknowntoday,researcherssaid.
ThesystemissoclosethatastronomersalreadydreamabouttakingpicturesofthenewStars.
HARPSN,designedandbuiltbyaninternationalconsortiumandinstalledattheTelescopioNazionaleGalileoontheLaPalmaislandin
Spain,unveiledtheexceptionalplanetarysystemaroundHD219134.
Thestar,a5thmagnitudeKdwarf,slightlycolderandlessmassivethanourSun,issobrightthatwecanfollowitwithanakedeyefromdark
skies,nexttoonelegoftheWshapeCassiopeiaconstellation,allyearroundinourborealhemisphere,researcherssaid.
ThecortegeofplanetsiscomposedofthreemostlyrockysuperEarthsandanoutergiantplanet,aconfigurationreminiscentofourown
SolarSystem,theysaid.
WhenthefirstHARPSNradialvelocitymeasurementsindicatedthepresenceofa3dayplanetaroundHD219134,weimmediatelyasked
NASAforSpitzerspacetelescopetime,saidAtiMotalebi,astronomeratUniversityofGeneva(UNIGE)andfirstauthorofthepaper
describingthediscovery.
Theideawastocheckforapotentialtransitoftheplanetinfrontofthestar,aminieclipse,thatwouldallowustomeasurethesizeofthe
planet,shesaid.
HD219134bdoesindeedtransitthestar.Itisbyfartheclosesttransitingplanetknown,andlikelytoremainoneoftheclosestever.
Themassoftheplanetobtainedfromthegroundbasedradialvelocities,combinedwiththeplanetradiusderivedfromspaceobservations
withSpitzer,yieldthemeandensityoftheplanet.
HD219134bis4.5timesmoremassivethantheEarthand1.6timeslarger,whatplanethunterscallasuperEarth.Itsmeandensityiscloseto
thedensityoftheEarth,suggestingapossiblysimilarcompositionaswell.
TheteamdiscoveredthreeadditionallongerperiodplanetsinthesystemfromtheHARPSNradialvelocities.
http://www.thehindu.com/scitech/science/threesuperearthsfound21lightyearsfromearth/article7491892.ece

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05/08/2015

ThreesuperEarthsfound21lightyearsfromEarthTheHindu

Intheinnerregions,aplanetweighing2.7timestheEarthorbitsHD219134in6.8days,andaplanetof8.7timesthemassoftheEarth
residesona46.8dayorbit.
If,bychance,these2planetswouldbeinacoplanarconfigurationwiththeir3rdinnersister,asoftenobservedforcompactsystems,the
wholefamilymightbetransiting.
TheresearchwillbepublishedintheAstronomy&Astrophysicsjournal.

http://www.thehindu.com/scitech/science/threesuperearthsfound21lightyearsfromearth/article7491892.ece

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