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(617) 495-7462
Christine Pulliam
(617) 495-7463
pubaffairs@cfa
Release No.: 2005-14For Release: Monday, May 23, 2005
Amateur and Professional Astronomers Team to Find New Planet
Amateur and Professional Astronomers Team to Find New Planet
This artist's conception shows the second planet to be found using gravitational microlensing. It weighs about three times as much as Jupiter and orbits a sun-like star located approximately 15,000 light-years from the Earth.
Credit: David A. Aguilar (CfA)
High Resolution Image (jpg)
Low Resolution Image (jpg)
Credit: David A. Aguilar (CfA)
High Resolution Image (jpg)
Low Resolution Image (jpg)
Astronomers discovered a new planet when it and its host star crossed in front of a very faint background star (marked by crosshairs) and magnified the distant star's light in a process called gravitational microlensing. Although the newfound planet is 3 times the size of Jupiter, microlensing offers the possibility of detecting earth-sized worlds using existing technologies.
Credit: Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment
Low Resolution Image (jpg)
Credit: Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment
Low Resolution Image (jpg)
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