Tuesday, April 21, 2009

A "real" WaterWorld

The planetary system around the small red dwarf star Gliese 581 boasts four planets. The newly discovered planet "e" (left, foreground) weighs about 1.9 Earths; "b" (nearest the star) weighs 16 Earths; "c" (centre) weighs 5 Earths; and "d" (bluish planet farthest from the star) weighs 7 Earths. "D" orbits its star in 66.8 days, while "e" completes an orbit in just 3.2 (Illustration: ESO/L Calçada)A planet orbiting a nearby red dwarf may be the first known water world, while its newly discovered neighbor is the lightest.

Sibling worlds may be wettest and lightest known

No comments:

Post a Comment