scipaUS Astronomers discover new planet
November 9th 2007 11:00
US Astronomers from the University of California, Berkeley have discovered a new gas planet roughly 45 times the mass of the Earth.
The new planet in orbit was discovered using tiny wobbles in the movement of a star - in this case, the 55 Cancri - to detect the presence of planets pulling on the star as they orbit around it and is located 41 light years from Earth.
This is the fifth planet to be discovered around 55 Cancri, a double or binary star in the constellation of Cancer. Displaying signs of mild surface temperatures, astronomers have yet to determine whether it supports liquid water.
The new planet is part of a quintuple planet system that has its own gas giant which means it orbits a star along with the existing planets - a system that bears a huge resemblance to that of our own.
While this new discovery and its neighbouring planets are invisible to the naked eye, the 55 Cancri star can quite easily be seen at the right time of year and with a clear night sky using only a pair of binoculars.
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