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{\title Astronomers using ESO\'d5s world-leading
HARPS instrument have discovered a planetary
system containing at least five planets, orb}{\author
Thomas Lucas}{\operator Thomas Lucas}{\creatim\yr2010\mo8\dy24\hr10\min15}
{\revtim\yr2010\mo8\dy24\hr10\min17}{\version1}{\edmins2}{\nofpages2}{\nofwords441}{\nofchars2519}{\*\company
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Astronomers using ESO\rquote
s world-leading HARPS instrument have discovered
a planetary system containing at least five
planets, orbiting the Sun-like star HD 10180.
The researchers also believe the system has
two other planets, one of which would have
the lowe
st mass ever found, making the system similar
to our own Solar System in terms of the number
of planets. Furthermore, the scientists find
that the location of the planets follows a
regular pattern, as also seen in our own Solar
System.}{\cf1
\par }{\cf1
\par The team of astronomers used the HARPS
spectrograph, attached to ESO\rquote s 3.6-metre
telescope at La Silla, Chile. HARPS is an
instrument with unrivalled stability and great
precision, and the world\rquote s most successful
exoplanet hunter.
\par }{\cf1
\par }{\cf1 The astronomers, led by Christophe
Lovis from the Geneva Observatory, studied
the Sun-like star HD 10180 over a period of
six years!
\par }{\cf1
\par }{\cf1 This star is located 127 light-years
away in the}{\cf1 southern constellation Hydrus,
}{\cf1 \ldblquote the Mal}{\cf1 e Water Snake".
\par }{\cf1
\par Thanks to the 190 individual HARPS measurements,
the astronomers detected the wobbles of the
star caused by five or more planets.
\par }{\cf1
\par }{\cf1 The five strongest signals correspond
to planets with Neptune-like masses \emdash
between 13 and 25 Earth masses \emdash which
orbit the star in between 6 to 600 days.
\par }{\cf1
\par }{\cf1 The astronomers have a
lso strong reason to believe that two other
planets are present. One would be a Saturn-like
planet orbiting in 2200 days. The other, having
a mass of only about 1.4 times that of the
Earth would be the least massive exoplanet
ever discovered. This suspect
ed planet is very close to its host star and
so it is likely to be very hot. One \lquote
year\rquote on this planet lasts only 1.18
Earth-days!
\par }{\cf1
\par }{\cf1 The newly discovered Solar System
is unique in several respects. First of all,
with at least five Neptune-
like planets lying within a distance equivalent
to the orbit of Mars, this system is more
populated than our own Solar System in its
inner region, and has many more massive planets
there. Furthermore, the system probably has
no Jupiter-like gas giant. In
addition, all the planets seem to have almost
circular orbits. Dynamical studies of the
new system reveal complex interactions between
planets and give us insights into its long-term
evolution.
\par }{\cf1
\par }{\cf1 Using the new discovery as well
as data for other planetary systems, the astronomers
discovered that the locations of the planets
seem to follow a regular pattern \emdash similar
to the \ldblquote Titius-Bode\rdblquote
law that exists in our Solar System. This
could be a general signature of how planetary
systems form.
\par }{\cf1
\par }{\cf1 Another important result is that
all very massive planetary systems are found
around massive and metal-rich stars, while
the four lowest-mass systems are found around
lower-mass and metal-poor stars. These properties
confirm current theore
tical models.
\par There is no doubt that this remarkable
discovery highlights the fact that we are
now entering a new era in exoplanet science:
the study of complex planetary systems and
not just of individual planets!!
\par }\pard \widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0
{\cf1
\par }{\cf1 And with HARPS, European astronomers
will be a driving force behind this transition.}{
\par }}
