Planet Found Orbiting Star

Gas giant is 45 times the size of Earth

By Laurel Jorgensen, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 6, 2007 10:28 PM CST

(Newser) – Astronomers have found a planet that’s at least 45 times the size of Earth orbiting a star 41 light years away, Space.com reports. The giant ball of gas is the fifth planet discovered around the star 55 Cancri. And while it's not a "twin of our solar system," it is the first outside our own to have five known planets.

A team of astronomers has spent nearly 20 years researching the star and its planets.
The newly discovered planet is the fourth furthest from the star and about half the size of Saturn. “This work marks an exciting next step in the search for worlds like our own,” an astronomer at the National Science Foundation said.

This artist rendering released by NASA/JPL-Caltech, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007, shows four of the five planets that orbit 55 Cancri, a star much like our own. The most recently discovered planet, and the fourth... (Associated Press)

NASA diagram shows similarity between our solar system and the Jupiter-like planet recently discovered around a distant star, 55 Cancri. Astronomers say an Earth-like planet where life might exist cou (KRT Photos)

First Four Planet System Found (Getty Images)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

New Solar System Sparks Hope for Other Life

Maybe we're not alone, say astronomers

(NEWSER) - Excited astronomers say that the discovery of a solar system with strong similarities to our own raises the chances of other life out there. The system has two gas giants similar to Jupiter and Saturn orbiting at a similar distance from the alien sun 5,000 light years away, and rocky, Earth-like planets may exist in closer orbits, reseachers write in the journal Science. More»

Crop of New Planets Means Better Chance of Life

Rapid discovery of planets outside our solar system ups odds one has liquid water

(NEWSER) - Astronomers who've spotted 28 new planets in the past year are gaining confidence that other solar systems may be able to support life like ours. One researcher estimated that there are probably "tens of billions" of planets with habitable conditions, most important of which is hospitality to water. More»

'Large Regions' of Mars Are Habitable

But no sign of aliens, spaceships: researchers

(NEWSER) - More fascinating news about the potential for life on Mars . Some 3% of Mars' volume is capable of sustaining life, Australian scientists have found—more than the 1% of Earth that contains living things. Researchers based their findings on a comparison between the two planets' temperature and pressure attributes, AFP reports. Rather than following earlier studies' lead and examining a single area of Mars, the scientists used a "comprehensive compilation" of the entire planet, making use of decades of findings. More»

Small, Heavy, and Shiny— Planetoid Surprises Astronomers

Distant Eris may be more like Mercury than Pluto

(NEWSER) - It's been six years since distant Eris was discovered, a small planetoid that led to Pluto losing its planetary status. But since it lies three times further from the sun than Pluto, Eris was very difficult to observe and little was known about it—until now. Last year Eris passed in front of a star, creating a "stellar occultation" that allowed astronomers to turn their telescopes on it and gather large amounts of data. Twenty-six sites tried, but only three telescopes from two locations caught the event. More»

NASA Snaps First Shots of Mercury From Orbit

Future photos to reveal planet's unseen regions

(NEWSER) - A NASA spacecraft has captured the first photo of Mercury taken from orbit. The first of yesterday’s 363 images, shown at left, show the planet’s south pole. The gray surface is covered with craters, including a 53-mile-wide one known as Debussy. Other photos from the $464 million Messenger probe will likely reveal previously-unseen parts of the planet, Space.com reports; it's expected to circle the planet for a year. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Planet Found Orbiting Star

Gas giant is 45 times the size of Earth

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Related articles

astronomy • planet • space • solar system • Cancri 55

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

New Solar System Sparks Hope for Other Life

Maybe we're not alone, say astronomers

Crop of New Planets Means Better Chance of Life

Rapid discovery of planets outside our solar system ups odds one has liquid water

'Large Regions' of Mars Are Habitable

But no sign of aliens, spaceships: researchers

Small, Heavy, and Shiny— Planetoid Surprises Astronomers

Distant Eris may be more like Mercury than Pluto

NASA Snaps First Shots of Mercury From Orbit

Future photos to reveal planet's unseen regions

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?