Jupiter-like planets orbiting one of the smallest stars

A tool for hunting planets, used long ago, gave the first result - a Jupiter-like planet orbiting one of the smallest known stars.

This technique, called astrometry, was first made 50 years ago to search for extrasolar planets. It includes measuring the exact motion of a star in the sky by a planet pushing back and forth. But this method requires very accurate measurements over a long period of time, and so far no solar system has been found yet.

A group of two astronomers from NASA's Jet Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., Has spent the past 12 years using this star measurement device on a telescope at the Palomar Observatory near San Diego. After observing carefully and carefully 30 stars, the team discovered an extrasolar planet orbiting a star - the first planet discovered using stellar measurement.

Astronomer Steven Pravdo of JPL, the lead author of the study, spoke about the results published in the Astrophysical Journal: 'This method is optimal to detect systems similar to the solar system of we can hide another 'Earth'. We found a planet like Jupiter but around a much smaller star. It is possible that this star also has another planet orbiting. And because every 7 of the 10 stars are the same size, it means that planets are more popular than we think. '

This finding confirms that astrometry is an effective method of finding planets for both ground and space telescopes. For example, a similar technique is used by SIM Lite, a NASA space model is currently being investigated.

The newly discovered planet, called VB 10b, is about 20 light-years away in the constellation Aquila. It is a giant gas planet, with a mass about six times that of Jupiter, and located far enough away from its star to be classified as 'cold Jupiter' like that of our solar system. In fact, the planet's internal heat causes its temperature to be similar to Earth.

The star of the planet, called VB 10, is very small. It is classified as an M dwarf, and has a mass of 1/12 of the Sun, just enough to heat an atom in the core and glow. For years, VB is the smallest known star - and now it has a new title: the smallest star has a orbiting planet. In fact, although this star has a larger mass than the orbiting planet, both have the same circumference.

The image of the smallest star has an orbiting planet.This planet, called VB 10b, was discovered using a star measurement technique, a method of detecting the oscillation of the star created by its planet.(Photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech)

Because the star is so small, its planetary system can be very small, like a miniature version of the solar system. For example, VB 10b, although considered a cold Jupiter, lies far from the star with the same distance from Mercury to the Sun. Any stone planet of the same size as Earth can be closer.

Shaklan, a co-author with Prvado and a SIM Lite device scientist at JPL, said: 'Some extraterrestrial planets orbiting a larger M dwarf are just like our Jupiter, making these This star is the potential location to search for the second Earth. Star measurement techniques are the most optimal for finding cold Jupiter around all kinds of stars, and from there discovering similar Solar System planets. '

2 to 6 times a year, for the past 12 years, Prvado and Shaklan have put the Stellar Planet Survey device on Palomar's 5 meter Hale telescope to search for the planet. This device can detect the smallest position changes of stars. For example, the VB 10b planet causes its star to swing only a fraction of a degree. Detecting this oscillation is similar to measuring the thickness of a human hair from 3 km away.

Other widely used planetary techniques include velocity and method of motion. Like astrometry, the ray velocity detects the vibrations of a star, but it measures Doppler changes in the star's light due to motion toward or away from us. The movement method seeks changes in the brightness of stars when the orbiting planet moves through and obscures part of the light. NASA's Kepler spacecraft, which began searching for planets on May 12, used motion methods to search for Earth-like planets orbiting a star similar to the Sun.

Wesley Traub, head of NASA's search for extraterrestrial planets at JPL, said: 'This is an important finding because it shows that planets can be detected around very light stars. This also means that nature tends to form planets, even around stars very different from the Sun. '