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extrasolar planet |
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extrasolar planetalso called exoplanetPlanet that orbits a star other than the Sun. The existence of extrasolar planets, many light-years from Earth, was confirmed in 1992 with the detection of three bodies circling a pulsar. The first planet revolving around a more sunlike star, 51 Pegasi, was reported in 1995. Over 200 stars with one or more planets are known. Current detection methods, based on the planets' gravitational effects on the stars they orbit, have revealed only planets much more massive than Earth; some are several times the size of Jupiter. A number of them have highly elliptical orbits, and many are closer to their stars than Mercury is to the Sun. These findings have raised questions regarding astronomers' ideas of how Earth's solar system formed and how typical it is. extrasolar planet [¦ek·strə¦sō·lər ′plan·ət] (astronomy) A planet in orbit about a star other than the sun. Also known as exoplanet. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Although astronomers have found several extrasolar planets orbiting red dwarfs, theorists had dismissed the possibility that any such planet could harbor life. It's one of about 200 extrasolar planets that astronomers have discovered so far. All extrasolar planets that have been discovered so far are gas giants. |
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