Planets have scientists buzzing

[OXO]

Planets have scientists buzzing

A new wide-field survey of the sky has made its first major discovery - two planets orbiting far-distant stars.

The SuperWasp project uses camera lenses and super-sensitive detectors to monitor stars for tiny dips in light that might betray a passing planet.

The UK-led project identified a number of "suspects" and then handed the data to a French observatory for checking.

It used an instrument to analyse the light from the stars in detail and confirm the presence of the planets.

"To get these two we had to survey about 1.1 million stars and then go though several stages of filtering. It's a bit like panning for gold," Professor Andrew Collier Cameron from the University of St Andrews told BBC News.

The two extrasolar (outside our Solar System) planets, now known as Wasp-1b and Wasp-2b, are in the constellations of Andromeda and Delphinus.

Very hot

One is about 1,000 light-years from Earth; the other is about half that distance.

They are what astronomers term "hot Jupiters" - very large planets like the gas giants in our own Solar System but orbiting much closer in to their parent stars.

Whilst our Jupiter is almost 700 million km from the Sun and takes some 12 years to complete an orbit, these planets are just a few million km from their stars and take only a couple of days to complete an orbit.

These planets should have dense cloud decks made essentially of 'rock snowflakes'

Prof Andrew Collier Cameron, University of St Andrews

This makes them extremely hot. Indeed, scientists think that of the 200 or so extrasolar planets detected to date, these may be among the hottest of the lot. Wasp-1b's temperature is estimated to be over 1,800C (3,300F).

SuperWasp (Wide Angle Search for Planets) is a new programme that puts eight lenses and top-quality CCD cameras on a robotic mount.

There are two set-ups: one is at La Parma observatory in the Canary Islands; the other is at the Sutherland Observatory in South Africa. Together they sweep the entire sky.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5378562.stm

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[SteelRat]

Yup. Great that more ESSP's are coming up. Shame most are big gasses and the the rocky ones are around brownies though - old stuff's just gonna be WAY cold. Also a shame that so many great minds spent so much time deciding how to classify Pluto - as when all is said and done... no-matter what they decide... wether it is THIS or THAT... Pluto will always be PLUTO.

Anyway, here's to findin a little blue one out there eh?

[Astroman]

Since it's still relatively early in the extrasolar planet search, you have to look at a couple things. First, it's easier to just plain see bigger planets. When they're close to their star, they exert a lot more force on the star and are just easier to see. Second, there are currently only two methods for detecting extrasolar planets. Either by the movement they induce on their respective stars or by a chance alignment that allows them to be detected directly. The first requires the planet to be large enough to move the star measurably and close enough to do it on a time scale we can see easily. Think of trying to detect Jupiter this way. We'd have to study the star for at least 12 years to see if it was tugged by Jupiter, 12 more to verify etc. By the second method, we'd have to be aligned with the ecliptic, otherwise we'd never see Jupiter cross in front of the Sun. If it did, AND we could detect it, we'd have to wait 12 more years before it did it again! Now, how would we know it took 12 years? We wouldn't, so we'd just have to keep looking at it until it did. Now, multiply that by however many stars you wish to monitor. The mind reels.

The good news is, we're getting better at detecting them, and some very smart people are working on other methods to detect them. Once more methods are refined, the flood gates open. It's a very exciting time in astronomy. What I think of all the time is this; When Sir Charles Messier was alive, the big science was comets. He discovered a couple dozen or so. BUT, he's remembered for something totally unrelated to what his main focus was. What will we discover, and reject, with the current state of affairs? Think about it. :sunny:

[SteelRat]

It's boggling to think how many have been found even WITH that old ecliptic gremlin fowlin up the works - hats off to the bods slavin away on it. Shame the potential number of finds are gonna be held up a little by the diversion of funds from scientific discovery in favour of the new 'Race for the moon'. I mean amongst other things... cancelling Europa? Who the CARPE do THEY think THEY are? Shame Bluestreak was scrapped - we'd be so much further on I think (IMHOOC). Ah well... Nil desperandum etc.