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Trio of Super-Earths Discovered

FiReaNGeL writes "A group of astronomers have now discovered a system of three super-Earths around a rather normal star, which is slightly less massive than our Sun, and is located 42 light-years away towards the southern Doradus and Pictor constellations. 'We have made very precise measurements of the velocity of the star HD 40307 over the last five years, which clearly reveal the presence of three planets.' The planets, having 4.2, 6.7, and 9.4 times the mass of the Earth, orbit the star with periods of 4.3, 9.6, and 20.4 days, respectively. 'The perturbations induced by the planets are really tiny — the mass of the smallest planets is one hundred thousand times smaller than that of the star — and only the high sensitivity of HARPS made it possible to detect them' says co-author François Bouchy, from the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, France. Clearly these planets are only the tip of the iceberg."

8 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. So...we found...? by oahazmatt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Trio of Super-Earths Discovered So we found more oil?
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    1. Re:So...we found...? by alxkit · · Score: 4, Funny

      first we have to make sure that oil-producing GE microbes exist there

  2. Re:So... by oahazmatt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does it help to think of it as a project fork?

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  3. DNA proven right once again! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    > ... and is located 42 light-years away ...

    So that was why the answer to the ultimate question was 42 - and the ultimate question itself must be something like "Are we alone in the universe, and if not, how many light-years away is the nearest other life?"

  4. 42 light-years away? by gmuslera · · Score: 5, Funny

    Space race just found a new meaning for its life, its universe, and everything.

  5. Re:So what exactly is by thegameiam · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's a planet devoted to fighting crime, and supporting truth, justice, and the American way.

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  6. Re:Not good for much by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think it's the "42 light-years away" that makes them less than useful.

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  7. Re:Really short periods by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Whatever you do, don't try to answer this question by typing "really short periods" into Google. Trust me.