Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Planetary System Similar to Sol Discovered

Posted by michael on from the all-the-way-back dept.

Anonymous Coward writes: "The Washington Post is carrying its own copy about a planetary system very similar to Sol in the Big Dipper. 47 Ursae Majoris has at least two large gas giants in circular orbits, similar to many of Sol's satellites, and the possibility exists for smaller, currently undetectable rocky planets closer to the primary. Circular orbits are less common than highly elliptical orbits, and are more promising. Read the whole article to find out why."

5 of 321 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Too bad by emir · · Score: 2, Informative

    too bad that some people first post and then read article just to get the first post :( important thing about this discovery of the new gas giants is not the discovery of the gas giant itself but the location of its orbit and preferences it has that possibly imply smaller rocky planets in habitable zone.

    --
    -- http://electronicintifada.net --
  2. just next door by GlassUser · · Score: 2, Informative
    according to my sources, this little system is only 46 lightyears away. It looks like it's going to be a while before anything can get there. Darn, and I was really hoping to hear some more info before my children were dead.

    Seriously, this doesn't really seem to be too far away. Probably related to the fact that it's easier to see something closer. If I weren't so tired, I would probably be excited!

    --
    funny munging
  3. Finding the star by hoofie · · Score: 1, Informative

    For all your backyard astronomers, here are the coordinates : (all information is for London at GMT)

    Position information for 16 Aug 2001 09:54:45 (Julian day number 2452137.91302)

    • Apparent RA (epoch of date): 10h 59m 30.76s
    • Apparent Dec (epoch of date): +40 25' 33.5"
    • Constellation: Ursa Major
    • Flamsteed number: 47 Ursae Majoris
    • Tycho catalog number: TYC 3009-2703-1
    • PPM number: PPM 52175
    • SAO number: SAO 43557
    • Henry Draper number: HD 95128
    • DM number: BD +41 2147
    (Courtesy of SkyMap Pro, (c) C.A.Marriott)

    This page will also show you where to look with the naked eye. (Its a few years old but the picture is very useful for finding it with the naked eye).

  4. more stats by Alien54 · · Score: 3, Informative

    You can see a quick summary of the star here They estimate that the inner planet will remain in the habitable zone for 1.2 gigayears. Right now it is on the outside edge, in the cold zone, with a 3 year orbit. but the expect the star to start to get warmer, and that may heat things up nicely for a while.

    --
    "It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
    1. Re:more stats by Soft · · Score: 3, Informative
      (Hate to reply to myself...)

      OK, I found another article about this at SpaceRef. Your data is correct, and they found a second planet beyond that one. Still, I'm not sure how a rocky planet could form with those two monsters nearby; it's the "far away from the star" in the WP article that confused me. Of course, they're comparing with those other star systems discovered recently, where gas giants are insanely close to the stars...