Scientists Discover Largest Known Planet Outside of Solar System

[maroon1]

TrES-4 is a monstrous planet located 1,400 light years from Earth

A team of international astronomers recently discovered the largest known planet orbiting a star outside of the Earth's solar system. A team utilizing the Transatlantic Exoplanet Survey, or TrES, first spotted the large planet in 2006, but waited for confirmation from several universities.

The planet currently orbits a star located in the Hercules constellation, located around 1,400 light years away from Earth. Astronomers used three telescopes, two in Arizona, one in the Canary Islands, to make the discovery.

The Astrophysics Journal will publish full details about the planet.

The planet, known as TrES-4, is mainly composed of hydrogen and around 75 percent larger than Jupiter – the largest planet in the Earth's solar system. TrES-4's fiery temperature of 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit makes it unlikely anything lives on the planet.

TrES-4 completes a full revolution around its star in less than four days, meaning a standard week on Earth is the equivalent of almost two years on TrES-4.

The planet is so light astronomers believe it would be able to float on water. The planet's density is about 0.2 grams per cubic centimeter – just a bit more than a wine cork, but less than balsa wood.

“It's a very enigmatic planet, I would say, because it's so big and has such a low density,” said Georgi Mandushev, lead author for the TrES-4 article in the Astrophysics Journal.

DailyTech - Scientists Discover Largest Known Planet Outside of Solar System

[superdave1984]

What I wanna know is how they know how dense the thing is and how hot it is.

[peterhuang913]

Originally Posted by superdave1984

What I wanna know is how they know how dense the thing is and how hot it is.

They probaly used the good old spectrometer.

[Saxon]

I think they know how dense it is by using radio telescopes to measure the frequency of light coming from it or something simmiler, also the heat is estimated by ramping up from known measurements of known astral bodies such as Jupiter an the sun.

[b1gapl]

Speaking of planetary discoveries:

A Diamond Bigger than Earth Discovered in Constellation Centaurus

[jay_bo]

This is old news, i saw an artist impression of what its ment to be like, how do they know that lol

[murdocsvan]

Originally Posted by jay_bo

This is old news, i saw an artist impression of what its ment to be like, how do they know that lol

^ what a pointless post ^

[peterhuang913]

Originally Posted by murdocsvan

^ what a pointless post ^

and yours isnt?

[vernong1992]

^ lol seconded

but mine is also useless

[peterhuang913]

Originally Posted by vernong1992

^ lol seconded

but mine is also useless

lets all make pointless posts! wooo!