Major Extra-Solar Discovery Announcement Scheduled August 31

www.nasa.gov...


Gretchen Cook-Anderson
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-0836)

Whitney Clavin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone: 818/648-9734)


August 26, 2004
NOTE TO EDITORS : N04-122a


Major Extra-Solar Discovery Announcement Scheduled August 31

A team of planet-hunters will announce their discovery of a new class of planets beyond our solar system at a NASA Science Update at 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 31. Their discovery represents a significant and much-anticipated advance in the hunt for extra-solar planets.

Interesting, although it seems like they have already announced what they have found if we know what it is. Hopefully they will thell us more information than that link does. Thanks!

A new class of planets? I can't wait to see what that means. Like a type of planet with a as yet unknown structure? DAMMIT, JUST TELL ME! ARGH!!

I think that they just mean that they are going to officially, ceremonially announce the discovery of that 'super earth' extremely large -rocky- planet, whereas most other extrasolar planets are gas giants. Althought, there were I think three other rocky planets discovered before this one, but they rotate about a neutron star, so maybe thats a class in itself somehow.

[edit on 27-8-2004 by Nygdan]

Originally posted by Nygdan
I think that they just mean that they are going to officially, ceremonially announce the discovery of that 'super earth' extremely large -rocky- planet, whereas most other extrasolar planets are gas giants.

yeah, that's what i'm expecting it to be. we've never found a rocky planet that large before, and i even think that a rocky planet that size was previously deemed impossible.

yeah, that's what i'm expecting it to be. we've never found a rocky planet that large before, and i even think that a rocky planet that size was previously deemed impossible.

That would kinda' suck, as we already know about that one. Cool, yes but I'm hoping for something more.

Damn i hate this Super-earth story i thought they was going to announce something never heard before! Does anyone know if NASA announced the super-earth already anywhere? Or is the news from other sources? If NASA has not already annouced it then this is probably what they will say, but give us more details more than likely.
It always strikes me as strange how everyone else knows the new discovery then NASA announces it a week or two later, or even months later (like the meteor that skimmed past earth in march)
I take it the reason they do this is because they like to get definate answers in more detail, yeh?

Originally posted by markjaxson
Damn i hate this Super-earth story i thought they was going to announce something never heard before!

Actually this is quite significant.
All previously known planets have been small earth sized rocks or gas giants.

Finally. I knew these super giants planets existed, but yet none had been discovered.