Planet-Hunting Method Succeeds: Jupiter-like Planet Found Orbiting One Of Smallest Stars
Thursday, May 28, 2009 - 20:28
in Astronomy & Space
A long-proposed tool for hunting planets has netted its first catch -- a Jupiter-like planet orbiting one of the smallest stars known. The technique, called astrometry, was first attempted 50 years ago to search for planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets. It involves measuring the precise motions of a star on the sky as an unseen planet tugs the star back and forth.