Hubble may have spotted new planets

ToSeek · #1 (**permalink**) 24-June-2004, 07:12 PM

Quote:

The Hubble Space Telescope may have discovered as many as 100 new planets orbiting stars in the Milky Way galaxy, astronomers say.

If confirmed, that would double the known population of alien planets since the first one was detected nine years ago, said Steven Beckwith, director of the Space Science Telescope Institute in Baltimore.

...

For seven straight days in late February, Kailash Sahu, an astronomer at the Baltimore institute, used the 14-year-old telescope to monitor the amount of light streaming from the brightest stars.

A tiny decrease -- less than a tenth of 1 percent -- in the light was a sign that something, perhaps a planet, was passing in front of the star. A similar phenomenon entranced millions of earthlings when Venus transited the sun June 8.

George · #2 (**permalink**) 24-June-2004, 08:23 PM

=D> Ata way, Hubble! =D> Hope it does double the planet count.

To Seek, nice job (as usual).

So is this reason # 394,530 for O'Keefe to change his mind!

George · #3 (**permalink**) 24-June-2004, 08:25 PM

Is this also a case where Hubble might out-do Spitzer or other near future scopes since Hubble seems to have an advantage in the visible light spectrum? Or at least I think it does.

ToSeek · #4 (**permalink**) 24-June-2004, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George

=D> Ata way, Hubble! =D> Hope it does double the planet count.

To Seek, nice job (as usual).

I have to give credit to cab970, who for some reason posted the story in the Planet X Forum in this thread, instead of here where it belongs.

George · #5 (**permalink**) 24-June-2004, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by George

Is this also a case where Hubble might out-do Spitzer or other near future scopes since Hubble seems to have an advantage in the visible light spectrum? Or at least I think it does.

Am I right about this? For measuring tiny changes in a stars output for this type of planetary discovery, doesn't Hubble have the advantage since most stars, with hopeful planets, generate the most in the visible portion of the spectrum? #-o

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