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32 New Exoplanets Discovered

New finds signal that cosmos harbors wealth of planets

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 20, 2009 3:23 AM CDT

(Newser) – European astronomers have discovered 32 new planets in other solar systems, bringing the total of known exoplanets to over 400. The planets—which range in size from five times the size of Earth to five times the size of Jupiter—were found circling a variety of stars. The new discoveries support theories that planets are relatively common in our galaxy.

None of the new finds are believed to be suitable for life, but the astronomers expect that their instruments will be able to detect Earth-like planets within another decade. "I am convinced that planets are everywhere," one researcher told the Washington Post. "Nature does not like void and is especially efficient in filling up the holes."

[Images (1)]

[Quotes (1)]

An artist's impression of a newly discovered planet that orbits the star Gliese 667. (European Southern Observatory)

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We are on the road. The end of the road is finding life and other planets like our own, but we have to go step by step.
- Stephane Udry of Geneva University

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 7 comments

WallyEFunk

Oct 21, 2009 7:14 AM CDT

Thanks for the time. The reason I come here to learn new things and thought.

Middleman

Oct 20, 2009 9:33 AM CDT

Very good explanation.

Aelius28

Oct 20, 2009 9:07 AM CDT

I've watched astrophysics lectures from Yale on the web just for my own education, so I think I should point something out. Just to help people who are confused understand. The reason planets are so goddamn hard to find and stars are not is the same reason that it's hard to see stars in the day. The reason you can't see stars during the day, as many of you probably know, is because of the light in the foreground obscuring your vision. Now, the light that you see as a "star" is actually several magnitudes larger than the star itself. See, when the light from faraway stars reaches the Earth it has been expanded and distorted through the atmosphere so that it appears as a bright light. In actuality, if stars appeared as big as they are you wouldn't ever be able to see any stars at all because they'd be so small being so far away. The light that you see as a "star" is a huge engulfing distortion that obscures the star AND its surroundings. It's a bit like bright headlights obscuring the features of the car which casts them. THAT'S why planets are so hard to see, because if someone from ANOTHER star were to look at our Sun it would appear as if the Sun was a massive light engulfing our entire solar system because the light expands and distorts itself after traveling so far, the planets around the Sun - even the far away ones like Neptune - would be invisible in the blanket of light that they'd see our Sun to be. I know I repeated myself a few times here, I'm just trying to put it a few different ways to make sure I don't confuse anybody.

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32 New Exoplanets Discovered