solar system (Photo : Reuters )
A team of astronomers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, University of California, and the Tennessee State University discovered that a system of planets exists at a distance of 54 light years from Earth.
Astronomers used Automated Planet Finder and the Automatic Photometric Telescope placed at the Lick Observatory in California and the Fairborn University in Arizona respectively for this discovery.
According to The Space Reporter, the system of three planets orbits a Sun like a star, HD7924 in orbits smaller than the Sun and Mercury orbit. They take five, fifteen and twenty-four days respectively to complete one revolution.
The team used the Doppler Method for detection, wherein the wobbles which result from the gravitational pull of the planets orbiting the star are collected and analyzed. The planets seem to be about six to seven times in mass than the Earth.
Speaking to the Science Daily, B J Fulton, a graduate student at University of Hawaii said that following manual investigations using the Automated Planet Finder initially, the team concurred that it will be best for computer to take over the graveyard shift. The team then simulated a code for a robot to take over during the night.
Researchers started to survey the nearby area for existence of other "Super Earths". The completion of this survey shall bring together a complete set of information about the other Sun like stars within a 100 light years diameter from the Earth. This will help to supplement the discovery for more "Super Earths" in the future.
The pioneering discovery will be published in the forth coming issue of the Astrophysical Journal.
