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New Planet-weighing Technique Found


June 27, 2012

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Although there have been about 800 extra-solar planets discovered so far in our galaxy, the precise masses of the majority of them are still unknown, as the most common planet finding technique provides only a general idea of an object's mass. Previously, the only way to determine a planet's exact mass was if it transits. Former Carnegie Mellon University scientist Mercedes López-Morales has for the first time, determined the mass of a non-transiting planet.Full Story

Source
Carnegie Institution

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