8 More Planet-Like Objects Found Orbiting Distant Stars
European astronomers say they have found evidence of eight planet-like objects orbiting distant stars, bringing to 43 the number of extra-solar system planets that have been found.
An astronomy team from the Geneva Observatory reported finding six planet-sized objects and two more massive objects orbiting stars up to 140 light-years away from Earth.
The planets range in size from a mass slightly less than Saturn to about 15 times more massive than Jupiter.
Jupiter is about 317 times more massive than the Earth and Saturn is about 95 times more massive.
Two of the new extra-solar system objects are large enough to be classified asbrown dwarfs. Brown dwarfs are thought to be “failed stars,” bodies that are bigger than planets but without the mass needed to start burning like a star.
Extra-solar system planets are discovered by measuring the motion of the host stars. The gravitational tug of a companion object causes a central star to wobble slightly. By measuring this motion, astronomers can determine the mass of a planet-like body and its distance from the central star.
A light-year is the distance light travels in a year in space, about 6 trillion miles.
The first extra-solar system planet, or exoplanet, was found in 1995, and astronomers at centers in Europe and in the United States have been steadily adding new discoveries.
