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Planet Discovered Using Telephoto Camera Lenses

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the shot-in-the-dark dept.

[rvr] writes "The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) reports the discovery of an extra-solar planet called XO-1b, which orbits a dim star in Corona Borealis every 4 days. To find it, the brightness of several thousand stars were regularly scanned using two mini-telescopes in Hawaii. This equipment was built using commercial hardware: two digital cameras, attached to telephoto camera lenses on a robotic equatorial mount. A team of amateur astronomers helped with their own equipment to discard or confirm dozens of suspected transits."

5 of 74 comments (clear)

  1. Planet using telephoto lens by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What the hell is a planet using a telephoto lens for?
    Spying on uranus?

  2. XO-1b by waltew · · Score: 2, Funny

    By the amateur astronomers often called Bob.

  3. its a fake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    its a sony fake till they build the real planets

  4. Re:Uranus jokes are LAME! by Frogbert · · Score: 3, Funny

    They should rename that planet to put those annoying jokes to bed once and for all. I'd like to suggest Urectum.

  5. Re:Uranus jokes are LAME! by RasputinAXP · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm sure they'll get around to it by, oh...say..2620?