Astronomers identify nearly 80 exoplanets in record time
Washington, June 23 : Scientists have discovered nearly 80 new planetary candidates, amid some 50,000 stars, in a record two weeks after the data from the K2 mission's -- the follow-up mission to NASA's Kepler Space Telescope -- was available.
The discovery was based on the analysis of data from K2's 16th and 17th observing campaigns, known as C16 and C17.
It typically takes several months to a year for scientists to analyse graphs of light intensity called "lightcurves" from the tens of thousands of stars to find exoplanet candidates.
Using existing tools, the researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) identified the planetary candidates in just two weeks.
The rapid search through "lightcurves" from each of the 50,000 stars showed 30 "highest-quality" planet candidates whose periodic signatures are especially likely to be caused by transiting planets, 48 more ambiguous events that may be either planets or false positives, 164 eclipsing binaries, and 231 other regularly periodic variable sources, the team reported in the paper published in The Astronomical Journal.
Such a fast planet-search enables astronomers to follow up with ground-based telescopes much sooner than they otherwise would, giving them a chance to catch a glimpse of planetary candidates before the Earth passes by that particular patch of sky on its way around the sun, said Ian Crossfield, Assistant Professor at MIT.
Such speed will also be a necessity when scientists start receiving data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) which is designed to monitor nearby stars in 30-day swaths and will ultimately cover nearly the entire sky.
Further, the scientists also reported the discovery of a likely planet that orbits the star HD 73344 which would be the brightest planet host ever discovered by the K2 mission.
The brightness of this star, combined with the speed with which its planetary candidate was identified, can help astronomers quickly zero in on even more specific features of this system, Crossfield said.
"We found one of the most exciting planets that K2 has found in its entire mission, and we did it more rapidly than any effort has done before," he added.
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Borders peaceful as Pak fears PM Modi: Amit Shah in J-K
Mendhar (J-K) (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said there is peace along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir as Pakistan fears Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would dare to open fire.
Shah was addressing an election rally in this border area in the Union territory's Poonch district in support of BJP candidate Murtaza Khan.
He lauded the BJP-led Centre for wiping out terrorism by replacing guns and stones in the hands of youngsters with laptops and said his government would not allow guns to resonate in the hills of Jammu region.
"We will construct more bunkers along the borders for the safety of the people. I want to remind you of cross-border firings in the 1990s… Is cross-border firing happening today?
"It is because the earlier rulers here were frightened of Pakistan, but now, Pakistan fears Modi. They would not dare to fire but if they did, they would be given a befitting reply," Shah said.
The BJP leader is on a three-day tour and is scheduled to address four more election rallies in Surankote in Poonch, Thanamandi and Rajouri in Rajouri district and Akhnoor in Jammu district.
Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir are taking place for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh -- in August 2019.
The first phase of polling was held on September 18. The second phase will be held on September 25, followed by the third and final phase on October 1. The election results will be declared on October 8.
