| 32 new Planets are discovered in 2009 | | | | largest is around 5 times larger than our solar system |
| The smallest is five times the size of the earth | | | | planet Jupiter which is the largest plant in our own |
| | | | solarsystem. |
| This picture taken in January 2009 illustrate the | | | | This was revealed at a statement given by the |
| eksoplanet HD80606b which is around 200 lightyears | | | | European Space Agency astronomers this Monday. |
| away from earth. European astronomers disclosed | | | | The astronomers stated that more than 40 percent |
| that they had discovered 32 new previously unkown | | | | of the stars looking like our own sun have planets |
| eksoplanets orbiting other stars than our own sun. | | | | with small masses. |
| Photo: Scanpix/AFP PHOTO / NASA / Spitzer Space | | | | The new observations have given the astronomers a |
| Telescope | | | | large insight into the variety of planet systems. Nuno |
| HD 80606 b is a superjovian planet (Eccentric Jupiter) | | | | Santos, one of the project researchers stated that |
| 190 light-years distant in the constellation of Ursa | | | | this helps us to understand how planets are formed- |
| Major. The planet was discovered orbiting the star | | | | De nye observasjonene har gitt astronomene stor |
| HD 80606 in April 2001 by a team led by Michel | | | | innsikt i planetsystemets mangfold. |
| Mayor and Didier Queloz. Based on its mass, at 4 | | | | The astonomers used HARPS, which is a special |
| times that of Jupiter, it is a gas giant. Since the planet | | | | designed instrument at the European observatory in |
| transits its star, its radius is determined to be at | | | | Chile to map the new eksoplanets. |
| 73,560 km (slightly larger than planet Jupiter). | | | | This instrument gives the researchers the chance to |
| The planet has wild variations in its weather as it | | | | calculate the size and mass of objects observed and |
| orbits its parent star. Computer models predict the | | | | discovered in the Universe. |
| planet heats up 555 °C (1,000 °F) in just a | | | | HARPS WEB SITE |
| matter of hours triggering "shockwave storms" with | | | | HARPS is a spectrometer dedicated to the search |
| winds that move faster than the speed of sound | | | | for extrasolar planets by means of the technique of |
| European astronomers have up till now discovered 32 | | | | precise radial velocity measurement. HARPS is |
| previously unknown plants orbiting other stars than | | | | developped by a consortium headed by the Geneva |
| our own sun. The number of eksoplanets is then up | | | | Observatory. It is installed at the Coude room of the |
| to over 400 at the moment. | | | | 3.6 meter telescope at La Silla, with an optical fiber |
| The smalles of the newly discovered eksoplanets is | | | | link to the Cassegrain focus. |
| around 5 times the size of the earth, while the | | | | |