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Old 08-September-2006, 09:53 AM
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Default Alien planet TrES-2 will reveal all its secrets

Astronomers using a network of amateur-sized telescopes called the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES), have found an extrasolar planet orbiting a Sun-like star just 750 light years from Earth, in the constellation Draco, that exhibits the most ideal geometry known for studying the planet's composition and atmosphere.
The astronomers watched for small dips in a star's brightness produced when a planet passes in front of it and block some of its light.
The team determined that it is slightly larger than Jupiter, with about 1.3 times the giant planet's mass and 1.2 times its radius. It also orbits its host star in just 2.5 days in an orbit 10 times smaller than Mercury's around the Sun.

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Last edited by Blob; 08-September-2006 at 11:35 AM.
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