Hubble finds compelling evidence for a moon outside the Solar System
Using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and older data from the Kepler Space Telescope two astronomers have found the first compelling evidence for a moon outside our own Solar System. The data indicate an exomoon the size of Neptune, in a stellar system 8000 light-years from Earth. The new results are presented in the journal Science Advances.
[...] In 2017 NASA's Kepler Space Telescope detected hints of an exomoon orbiting the planet Kepler-1625b. Now, two scientists from Columbia University in New York (USA) have used the incomparable capabilities of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study the star Kepler-1625, 8000 light-years away, and its planet in more detail. The new observations made with Hubble show compelling evidence for a large exomoon orbiting the only known planet of Kepler-1625. If confirmed, this would be the first discovery of a moon outside our Solar System.
The candidate moon, with the designation Kepler-1625b-i, is unusual because of its large size; it is comparable in diameter to the planet Neptune. Such gargantuan moons are unknown in our own Solar System.
Other sources put Kepler-1625 at around 4,000 light years away.
Discoveries like this are why we could use as many identical better-than-Hubble space telescopes as we can build and launch.
Also at Sky & Telescope, Cosmos Magazine, The Verge, Axios, NPR, CNN.
Evidence for a large exomoon orbiting Kepler-1625b (open, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav1784) (DX)
Previously: First Exo-Moon Discovered?
First Known Exomoon May Have Been Detected: Kepler 1625b i
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 04 2018, @01:20PM (3 children)
Whats the term for a moon of a moon? Hypermoon? It could even have an earth sized moon which in turn has its own moon.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday October 04 2018, @02:15PM (2 children)
Possibly "sub-satellite".
If anything, I would expect a tiny rock orbiting a satellite.
http://archive.is/ILRwa [archive.is]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 04 2018, @02:39PM (1 child)
Sorry, I don't read any Ethan Segal crap after what he did to people researching MOND:
https://darkmattercrisis.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/the-dark-matter-crisis-continues-on-the-difficulties-of-communicating-controversial-science/ [wordpress.com]
That guy is like the catholic church, trying to shut down anywhere people are discussing physical theories he doesnt like.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday October 04 2018, @03:23PM
One tweet is all it took? Blame the host.
Find your own link if you want. There's not too much, and maybe nothing discussing the sub-satellite implications of Neptune-sized moons.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]