December 2011
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Meet Kepler's 'Earth-Sized' Exoplanets →
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An IM Chat between DiscoveryNews Editor-in-Chief...
Lori Cuthbert: hi. quick question
Ian: fire away!
Lori Cuthbert: is evvery star system on the same plane as us ie: edge-on?
Ian: no
Lori Cuthbert: or is it the orientation of the telescope?
Ian: just a few
Basically, they are generally randomly oriented to us. Some are side on, some are end on
Lori Cuthbert: do they maneuver the telescopes around to look at the different star systems from different angles til they get lucky?
Ian: With Kepler, they look at a wide patch of sky, waiting to see if one of the stars in the field of view dims.
Lori Cuthbert: so they're just looking at ones that are oriented that right way
Ian: when that happens, they know there's a system of planets edge-on
yes
Lori Cuthbert: so there could be bazillions more that aren't observable by us
Ian: Totally
BUT
Thats when another exoplanet detection method comes in. If they're not edge-on, and IF the planets are massive enough, they might "tug" on their star as they orbit
Lori Cuthbert: oh that's right
Ian: Some telescopes are set up to look for the "wobble" of stars
Lori Cuthbert: they distort their stars' gravitational fields?
Ian: But Kepler is the only 'scope capable of finding glow mass, tiny planets that are Earth sized
Lori Cuthbert: i see.
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Vote For Your Favorite "Animal" Story on... →
Whether it’s dinosaurs with feathers, cute cuddly cats or the scientific advancements of the animal kingdom, our writers grab the top stories and present them to you. Which was your favorite this year?
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Google "let it snow"
thegreg:
Do it.
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Unexplained Mysteries of 2011 and Into 2012 →
From the Jerusalem UFO video mystery to Chupacaras and the mystery of the magnetic boy, Benjamin Radford has the details.
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North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-Il Dies →
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So, this is what vocal fry is. →
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