Scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory of ISRO in Ahmedabad have now discovered a or super-Neptune size exoplanet which is about 27 the mass of Earth and about six times its radius.&nbsp;

As per ISRO, the planet, known as EPIC 211945201b or K2-236b, is 600 lightyears away from the Earth and revolves around a sun-like star in about 19.5 days.&nbsp;

The scientific team, led by Prof Abhijit Chakraborty made the discovery. Initially, NASA’s K2 (Kepler), a space observatory that continually monitors the brightness of the stars, picked up an anomaly in one of its photometry readings.

It goes around the star and therefore blocks a tiny amount of star-light. By measuring the amount of light blocked by the planet body, the diameter or size of the planet can be measured. It was found to be 6 Earth radii. However, that data was not sufficient to confirm the planetary nature of the system.

The team then made the discovery by measuring the mass of the planet using the indigenously designed &nbsp;“PRL Advance Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search” (PARAS) spectrograph integrated with 1.2m Telescope at PRL’s Gurushikhar Observatory in Mount Abu, India.&nbsp;

The surface temperature of the planet is around 600°C. This might make it unhabitable, but such a discovery is of importance for understanding the formation mechanism of such super-Neptune or sub-Saturn kind of planets, that are too close to the host star.

The PRL scientists observed the target over a time-baseline of 420 days (in about 1.5 years) using the PARAS spectrograph for probing the nature of the system. Based on the mass and radius, model-dependent calculations suggest that the heavy elements, like ice, silicates, and iron content is 60-70 % of the total mass

With this discovery, India has joined a select league of countries which has discovered planets around stars.

<img alt="Capture_0.PNG" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="414" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/Capture_0.PNG" width="577" />

As per ISRO, the planet, known as EPIC 211945201b or K2-236b, is 600 lightyears away from the Earth and revolves around a sun-like star in about 19.5 days

Scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory of ISRO in Ahmedabad have now discovered a or super-Neptune size exoplanet which is about 27 the mass of Earth and about six times its radius. As per ISRO, the planet, known as EPIC 211945201b or K2-236b, is 600 lightyears away from the Earth and revolves around a sun-like star in about 19.5 days. The scientific team, led by Prof Abhijit Chakraborty made the discovery. Initially, NASA’s K2 (Kepler), a space observatory that continually monitors the brightness of the stars, picked up an anomaly in one of its photometry readings. It goes around the star and therefore blocks a tiny amount of star-light. By measuring the amount of light blocked by the planet body, the diameter or size of the planet can be measured. It was found to be 6 Earth radii. However, that data was not sufficient to confirm the planetary nature of the system. The team then made the discovery by measuring the mass of the planet using the indigenously designed “PRL Advance Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search” (PARAS) spectrograph integrated with 1.2m Telescope at PRL’s Gurushikhar Observatory in Mount Abu, India. The surface temperature of the planet is around 600°C. This might make it unhabitable, but such a discovery is of importance for understanding the formation mechanism of such super-Neptune or sub-Saturn kind of planets, that are too close to the host star. The PRL scientists observed the target over a time-baseline of 420 days (in about 1.5 years) using the PARAS spectrograph for probing the nature of the system. Based on the mass and radius, model-dependent calculations suggest that the heavy elements, like ice, silicates, and iron content is 60-70 % of the total mass With this discovery, India has joined a select league of countries which has discovered planets around stars.

India discovers a new planet 600 light years away

Astronomers announced on Monday the discovery of the youngest planet ever found outside our solar system, lending new insight into how planetary systems form. 
 
The 11 million-year-old exoplanet, named K2-33b, swiftly orbits around its star, K2-33 in just 5.4 days. 
 
The exoplanet&#39;s existence suggests that planets can quickly finalise their orbital distances after forming. 
 
Astronomers have published details of their findings in the Astronomical Journal, a scientific review published by the American Astronomical Society. 
 
About five times the size of Earth, which is about 4.5 billion-years-old, the youthful exoplanet is categorised as a &quot;super-Neptune&quot;. About 470 light-years away from Earth, it&#39;s located in the Scorpio constellation. 
 
These planets either form near to their star or migrate inward as they form out of the thick disks of gas and dust that surround young stars. 
 
Study co-author Andrew Mann, an&nbsp;astronomer at the University of Texas at Austin, speculated that the orbital migration patterns of close-in planets may affect how terrestrial planets form. 
 
&quot;If Jupiter or Neptune had migrated inward after the terrestrial planets formed, it seems unlikely that our solar system would have an Earth&nbsp;or any of the terrestrial planets at all,&quot; Mann said in a statement. 
 
Researchers discovered the planet using NASA&#39;s Kepler space telescope. 
 
Astronomers then conducted additional observations with telescopes to confirm K2-33b&#39;s existence and determine the exoplanet&#39;s characteristics and properties. 
 
(AFP)

The exoplanet, named K2-33b, suggests that planets can quickly finalise their orbital distances after forming

Astronomers announced on Monday the discovery of the youngest planet ever found outside our solar system, lending new insight into how planetary systems form. The 11 million-year-old exoplanet, named K2-33b, swiftly orbits around its star, K2-33 in just 5.4 days. The exoplanet's existence suggests that planets can quickly finalise their orbital distances after forming. Astronomers have published details of their findings in the Astronomical Journal, a scientific review published by the American Astronomical Society. About five times the size of Earth, which is about 4.5 billion-years-old, the youthful exoplanet is categorised as a "super-Neptune". About 470 light-years away from Earth, it's located in the Scorpio constellation. These planets either form near to their star or migrate inward as they form out of the thick disks of gas and dust that surround young stars. Study co-author Andrew Mann, an astronomer at the University of Texas at Austin, speculated that the orbital migration patterns of close-in planets may affect how terrestrial planets form. "If Jupiter or Neptune had migrated inward after the terrestrial planets formed, it seems unlikely that our solar system would have an Earth or any of the terrestrial planets at all," Mann said in a statement. Researchers discovered the planet using NASA's Kepler space telescope. Astronomers then conducted additional observations with telescopes to confirm K2-33b's existence and determine the exoplanet's characteristics and properties. (AFP)

'Youthful exoplanet' sheds light on planet and solar system formation

A kid yet fully-formed exoplanet has been discovered 500 light years away from Earth, orbiting a young star. 
 
The newfound planet by a team of international researchers, known as K2-33b, most closely resembles Neptune in size, when compared to planets in our own solar system, and orbits its star once every five days. 
 
Researchers behind the discovery, which include Dr Sasha Hinkley of the University of Exeter, believe the planet is only five-10 million years old - as so still in its infancy in astronomical terms and when compared to Earth, which is 4.5 billion years old. It also means it is the youngest, fully formed planet to have been identified and one of the few newborn planets to have been discovered till date. 
 
The research team hopes that the pioneering discovery will help astronomers to gain a greater understanding of the processes behind the evolution of planets across the galaxy. 
 
Dr Hinkley described the discovery as &quot;providing an extraordinary snapshot of the planet formation process.&quot; The team of astronomers detected the new planet using NASA`s Kepler space telescope, during its K2 mission, which identified a recurring dimming in the light emitted by the planet`s host star that hinted that an orbiting planet was regularly passing in front of it. 
 
The star orbited by new exoplanet has a small amount of disk material left, indicated by observations from NASA`s Spitzer space telescope, suggesting it is in the final stages of dissipating.This study has been published in Nature. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp; 
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It is the youngest, fully formed planet to have been identified and one of the few newborn planets to have been discovered till date

A kid yet fully-formed exoplanet has been discovered 500 light years away from Earth, orbiting a young star. The newfound planet by a team of international researchers, known as K2-33b, most closely resembles Neptune in size, when compared to planets in our own solar system, and orbits its star once every five days. Researchers behind the discovery, which include Dr Sasha Hinkley of the University of Exeter, believe the planet is only five-10 million years old - as so still in its infancy in astronomical terms and when compared to Earth, which is 4.5 billion years old. It also means it is the youngest, fully formed planet to have been identified and one of the few newborn planets to have been discovered till date. The research team hopes that the pioneering discovery will help astronomers to gain a greater understanding of the processes behind the evolution of planets across the galaxy. Dr Hinkley described the discovery as "providing an extraordinary snapshot of the planet formation process." The team of astronomers detected the new planet using NASA`s Kepler space telescope, during its K2 mission, which identified a recurring dimming in the light emitted by the planet`s host star that hinted that an orbiting planet was regularly passing in front of it. The star orbited by new exoplanet has a small amount of disk material left, indicated by observations from NASA`s Spitzer space telescope, suggesting it is in the final stages of dissipating.This study has been published in Nature. (ANI)

K2-33b: Youngest exoplanet discovered 500 light years away from Earth

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