They discover a planet apparently similar to Earth
2006/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
They have found another exoplanet that, according to astronomers, is the one that most resembles the Earth. The discovery has been made with a lens of gravity, a method with which they have shown the hope of finding more exoplanets.
Its name is OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, a planet whose mass is five times bigger than that of the Earth and is located 390 million kilometers from the orbiting star. The surface temperature is very cold: -220 °C.
As has been said, the planet has been discovered thanks to the effect called gravity lens, which is a prime effect for detecting small and distant planets from the orbiting stars: the huge mass of the star curves space and produces the effect of a lens -- the light curves and increases slightly sharply -- the gravity of the planet participates in this effect, although to a lesser extent. And their mass and orbit are measured knowing the influence of the planet.
