Alien Sun Has Record 9 Planets

[Hum]

A star already known to host five alien planets may actually be home to a whopping nine full-fledged worlds - a planetary arrangement that, if confirmed, would outnumber our own solar system and set a new record for the most populated system of extrasolar planets yet found.

The sun-like star, called HD 10180, is located approximately 127 light-years away from Earth. In a previous study that was published in August 2010, astronomers identified five confirmed alien worlds and two planetary candidates.

Now a new study confirms both previous candidates in the HD 10180 system, and also suggests that two more planets could be orbiting the star. This could bring the tally up to nine planets, said lead author Mikko Tuomi, an astronomer at the University of Hertfordshire in the U.K. Our solar system, by comparison, has eight official planets (with Mercury closest to the sun and Neptune at the farthest end). Pluto and several other smaller objects are considered dwarf planets, not full-blown worlds.

"The data indicates that there are not only seven but likely as many as nine planets in the system," Tuomi told SPACE.com in an email interview. "The two new planets appear to have orbital periods of roughly 10 and 68 days and masses of 1.9 and 5.1 times that of Earth, which enables the classification of them as hot super-Earths, i.e. planets with likely scorchingly hot rocky surfaces."

Tuomi re-analyzed observations collected between November 2003 and June 2010 by the planet-hunting HARPS spectrograph instrument, which is mounted on a 3.6-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory in La Silla, Chile.

The study has been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

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[LittleNeutrino Veteran]

that is exciting news.

[123456789A]

Yes, but does it have a mass relay?

[Crisp]

which enables the classification of them as hot super-Earths, i.e. planets with likely scorchingly hot rocky surfaces.

Booooooooo!!!

[Hum]

^ Only two may be hot -- still leaves 7 that may be just right.

Home of Darth Vader, no doubt. :laugh:

[simplezz]

Does it have a Stargate is the real question.

[Hum]

^ Transfer from the Giza pyramid and find out. :happy:

[butilikethecookie]

I hope we find life or another earth like planet with oxygen atleast.

[n_K]

Interesting.

[Hum]

I hope we find life or another earth like planet with oxygen at least.

What happens if we do ?

Do we try to take it over ... ? :shifty:

[~Johnny]

What happens if we do ?

Do we try to take it over ... ? :shifty:

I still hold the opinion that Earth is the seed planet for all life in the galaxy, and one day humans will be spoken of in legends across the stars as "The Ancient Ones"! :p

[Amerk_5]

That's cool but I don't care what they say because Pluto will always be a planet to me. That's what I always was taught. I'm sure that there are many others like me.

[Dot Matrix]

I still hold the opinion that Earth is the seed planet for all life in the galaxy, and one day humans will be spoken of in legends across the stars as "The Ancient Ones"! :p

Tau'ri. :yes:

[Hum]

I still hold the opinion that Earth is the seed planet for all life in the galaxy, and one day humans will be spoken of in legends across the stars as "The Ancient Ones"! :p

Partly true. ;)

[still1]

Alien Star Has Record 9 Planets.

sun is the name of our star :p

[44MLX]

How do we see 127 light-years away when we cannot reach it?

[bj55555]

When does THEIR 9th get demoted?

[Rail Grinder]

Yes, but does it have a mass relay?

+1

I was thinking the exact same thing!

[Rail Grinder]

How do we see 127 light-years away when we cannot reach it?

On the contrary, they've reached us... well, at least the light/radiation from their side took 127 light years to reach our instruments' detection range.

[anthdci]

How do we see 127 light-years away when we cannot reach it?

really? your really asking that question? I hope your being sarcastic...

Ok ill bite. We can see what system by capturing the light that has been travelling for 127 years. However light travels at about 186,000 miles a second which we cant get close to, so even at 90% of that speed it would take over 141 years to get there!

Edit: even if we have a HUGE telescope that could zoom right into a planet in that system that theoretically had life, we would see it 127 year in the past, so it could have dramatically changed in that time

[44MLX]

Interesting!

So we see the past now?

[Jeston Veteran]

I remember when we used to have nine planets...

[Dot Matrix]

Alien Star Has Record 9 Planets.

sun is the name of our star :p

This. PLUTO IS A PLANET, DAMMIT! :angry:

[calimike]

Animation of the planetary system around Sun-like star HD 10180 (720p) (artist?s impression)

http://upload.wikime...ar_HD_10180.ogv

Credit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_10180

[Hum]

This. PLUTO IS A PLANET, DAMMIT! :angry:

Pluto is really 2 'iceballs' fused together.

Will take a lot of Planetary Engineering to fix it up. :laugh: