Do 'Planemos' Have Progeny?

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Astronomers have found disks of dust and gas the raw material for planet making around objects that are only a few times heftier than Jupiter. These findings suggest that miniature versions of the solar system may circle. Credit: www.jonlomberg.com
Astronomers have found disks of dust and gas, the raw material for planet making, around objects that are only a few times heftier than Jupiter. These findings suggest that miniature versions of the solar system may circle. Credit: www.jonlomberg.com

VLT NACO J-band image showing the 2M1207Ab system: the planetary companion is visible near the lower left rim of the brown dwarf at a separation of 769 mas. North is up East is left.
VLT NACO J-band image, showing the 2M1207Ab system: the planetary companion is visible near the lower left rim of the brown dwarf, at a separation of 769 mas. North is up, East is left.

Two new studies, based on observations made with ESO's telescopes, show that objects only a few times more massive than Jupiter are born with discs of dust and gas, the raw material for planet making. This suggests that miniature versions of the solar system may circle objects that are some 100 times less massive than our Sun.


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All News summaries for June 05, 2006

Paying to save tropical forests could be a way to reduce global carbon emissions

5 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Wealthy nations willing to collectively spend about $1 billion annually could prevent the emission of roughly half a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year for the next 25 years, new research suggests.

Phoenix Completes Longest Work Shift

7 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
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7 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
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Polarizing filter allows astronomers to see disks surrounding black holes

7 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, a team of international researchers has found a way to view the accretion disks surrounding black holes and verify that their true electromagnetic spectra match what astronomers ...

Category 2 Hurricane Dolly Crosses South Padre Island, Texas

8 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
At 12:00 p.m. CDT (1:00 p.m. EDT) Dolly's eye was located near latitude 26.2 north and longitude 97.0 west or about 35 miles northeast of Brownsville, Texas, and she was crossing South Padre Island.

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