Newfound World Shatters Distance Record
I just think this is cool:
Separate teams today announced the discoveries of three planets outside our solar system, including one that is more than three times farther away than the previous record holder. The planet and its host star are near the center of our Milky Way galaxy and about 17,000 light years away. Previously the most distant known planet was 5,000 light-years away. One of the newly spotted worlds and its host star are 17,000 light-years distant. They inhabit a crowded region of space toward the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. The far-off planet is estimated to be about 1.5 times the mass of Jupiter and presumed to be similarly gaseous. It orbits the star about three times farther than Earth is from the Sun, or 3 astronomical units (AU). Jupiter is 5.2 AU from the Sun. Its presence does not surprise astronomers, but they are thrilled to have developed a new technique that can locate such faraway objects.