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Richest Planetary System Discovered With 7 Planets

eldavojohn writes "The European Southern Observatory has announced that with the aid of their 190 HARPS measurements they have found the solar system with the most planets yet. Furthermore they claim 'This remarkable discovery also highlights the fact that we are now entering a new era in exoplanet research: the study of complex planetary systems and not just of individual planets. Studies of planetary motions in the new system reveal complex gravitational interactions between the planets and give us insights into the long-term evolution of the system.' The star is HD 10180, located 127 light-years away in the southern constellation of Hydrus, that boasts at least five planets (with two more expected) that have the equivalent of our own Titius–Bode law (their orbits follow a regular pattern). Their survey of stars also helped reinforce the correlation 'between the mass of a planetary system and the mass and chemical content of its host star. All very massive planetary systems are found around massive and metal-rich stars, while the four lowest-mass systems are found around lower-mass and metal-poor stars.' While we won't be making a 127 light-year journey anytime soon, the list of candidates for systems of interest grows longer."

9 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Richest? by by+(1706743) · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, we've got a full two more planets than...oh wait...

    [tears up]

  2. Re:Don't start planning that vacation just yet by pspahn · · Score: 4, Funny

    Did you extrapolate Moore's Law in that calculation, Captain Obvious?

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  3. 7 Planets? Pff... by spike2131 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I know of a solar system that has 8 planets. Used to have 9.

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  4. Re:Don't start planning that vacation just yet by Gordonjcp · · Score: 3, Funny

    you might want to keep in mind that 127 light years is a very long way--an almost unimaginable distance, in fact

    I mean, you might think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts compared to space.

  5. Re:Richest? by Beetjebrak · · Score: 4, Funny

    Our planet will shake us off easily and life will simply continue. There'll always be prokaryotes, cockroaches and RIAA lawyers to reboot evolution. This planet has actually seen a whole lot worse than what we're doing to it.

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  6. Re:Don't start planning that vacation just yet by pspahn · · Score: 4, Funny

    So you're basing a 4 million year trip on current propulsion technology? Seems pretty archaic to me. I certainly hope that in 4 million years enough new ideas would come out that our ideas of propulsion would be long obsolete.

    When I travel to distant systems, I plan on using some super cool technology that I will call Magnetic Focusing Expansion of Relative Space (MFERS for short). The idea is that we just generate a magnetic attraction between two distant points and turn the thing on. It should also have the benefit of shielding the craft from any inconvenient chunks of matter between A and B. Also, this is science. Science that I base entirely on facts that are not factual (yet). Propulsion is for cavemen. Think of this more like Propullsion.

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  7. Re:Don't start planning that vacation just yet by Atryn · · Score: 4, Funny

    How can she already be there if she is just arriving?

    I hope someone can come up with a better example... she isn't "just arriving", the light is "just arriving". If you cannot separate one's "self" from the light representation thereof, have fun in front of the mirror!

    Kinda reminds me of the Joo Janta 200 Super Chromatic Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses...

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  8. Re:Richest? by suomynonAyletamitlU · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Her"? How one determines the gender of pet rock??

    Obviously you ask, asshole.

  9. Re:Don't start planning that vacation just yet by nacturation · · Score: 3, Funny

    As far as i remember, homo sapiens is about 200.000 years old.

    Wow, that's a damn good memory you have. What was it like back then?

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