Real-life "Tatooine" discovered.

[bigbarada]

http://news.yahoo.com/not-just-science-fiction-planet-orbits-2-suns-223557853.html


Not just science fiction: Planet orbits 2 suns

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (AP) — Astronomers say a bit of science fiction is now reality. They've spotted a planet orbiting two suns.
The discovery was made by NASA's planet-hunting telescope Kepler. Scientists describe the find in Friday's issue of the journal Science.
They are calling the new planet Tatooine after the fictional body in the "Star Wars" films that boasts a double sunset.
The alien world, about the size of Saturn, is frigid and inhospitable. It orbits two stars 200 light-years from Earth.
Though there have been past hints of the existence of other planets that circled double stars, scientists said this is the first confirmation.
Kepler was launched in 2009 to find out how common other planets — especially Earth-like planets — are in the universe.
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Online:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/main/index.html

There are a couple of images, which are just artist's conceptions of the planet, in the link above.

I assume they first discovered the most exciting part of our galaxy, then looked for the planet that was the furthest from it. :)

[JimJamBonds]

Life imitating art, sweet!

[El Chuxter]

This story hit the day before the blu-ray was released?

I don't buy it for a second. Obviously a shameless marketing stunt. Pathetic.

:D

[gabrielleking]

Was the planet mentioned above consider an exoplanet? Basically, an "exoplanet" is a planet outside the solar system. And its discovery was made by NASA's planet-hunting telescope Kepler, but I believe we should also credit the human planet hunters for this out of their curiosity. Indeed, curiosity is a very powerful tool. Why do I say this? It is because the word "curiosity" is the fuel of science and all other disciplines of human study. This is infallibly true to all planet hunters, as it becomes their driving force. The fact that the search for human friendly planets in other solar systems has been massive for years in the United States, it is still handed down up to this era. This reminds me of the article I read a while ago. Check this out: Citizen science racks up another win with Planet Hunters (http://www.newsytype.com/11642-citizen-science-planet-hunters/). Sounds catchy, isn't it? Just click the link for the details. It will supplement you with additional information regarding planet hunters and exoplanets.