Poles discover new solar system
15.02.2008 11:17A group of Polish astronomers from the Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory together with an international team of scientists have found a new solar system that closely resembles, says “Science” magazine reports.
The team has been working within the framework of OGLE (Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment) project. The Polish scientists were led by Professor Andrzej Urbański.
“This discovery is the first solar system that resembles ours so much,” Professor Urbański comments.
The new solar system is 4500 light years away from the Earth. It has two planets of similar size and orbit to Jupiter and Saturn. They orbit around a sun-like star, called OGLE-2006-BLG-109, which is smaller, dimmer and fainter than the Sun.
In order to spot the planets the team of astronomers used a technique called microlensing. The technique shows promise for finding many more stars, perhaps with Earth-like planets orbiting them.
The OGLE project is a world leader in the microlensing technique. Every year astronomers discover some 600 new phenomena with this technique. The research is conducted in Chile and it is partially financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education,the Foundation For Polish Science and the Polish Astronomy Foundation.
The first planet beyond the Solar System was also discovered by a Pole, Professor Aleksander Wolszczan in 1992.
15.02.2008 11:17A group of Polish astronomers from the Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory together with an international team of scientists have found a new solar system that closely resembles, says “Science” magazine reports.
The team has been working within the framework of OGLE (Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment) project. The Polish scientists were led by Professor Andrzej Urbański.
“This discovery is the first solar system that resembles ours so much,” Professor Urbański comments.
The new solar system is 4500 light years away from the Earth. It has two planets of similar size and orbit to Jupiter and Saturn. They orbit around a sun-like star, called OGLE-2006-BLG-109, which is smaller, dimmer and fainter than the Sun.
In order to spot the planets the team of astronomers used a technique called microlensing. The technique shows promise for finding many more stars, perhaps with Earth-like planets orbiting them.
The OGLE project is a world leader in the microlensing technique. Every year astronomers discover some 600 new phenomena with this technique. The research is conducted in Chile and it is partially financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education,the Foundation For Polish Science and the Polish Astronomy Foundation.
The first planet beyond the Solar System was also discovered by a Pole, Professor Aleksander Wolszczan in 1992.