Planetary System With Planet Smaller Than Mercury Found in Constellation Lyra
Posted on February 21, 2013
Scientists from NASA's Kepler mission have discovered a new planetary system in the constellation Lyra that contains a planet, Kepler-37b, which is smaller than Mercury. The plant is slightly bigger than our moon. It is part of the Kepler-37 system, which is located 210 light-years from Earth. You can see a larger version of the above image here.
Kepler-37's host star is slightly cooler and smaller than our Sun. Kepler-37b orbits its host star every 13 days. The estimated surface temperature on Kepler-37b is estimated to be over 800 degrees Fahrenheit. The astronomers note that this would be hot enough to melt the zinc in a penny.
Jack Lissauer, a planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif, said in a statement, "Even Kepler can only detect such a tiny world around the brightest stars it observes. The fact we've discovered tiny Kepler-37b suggests such little planets are common, and more planetary wonders await as we continue to gather and analyze additional data."