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Signs of first planet found outside our galaxy
Astronomers have found hints of what could be the first planet ever to be discovered outside our galaxy. Nearly 5,000 "exoplanets" - worlds orbiting stars beyond our Sun - have been found so far, but all of these have been located within the Milky Way galaxy.
The possible planet signal discovered by Nasa's Chandra X-Ray Telescope is in the Messier 51 galaxy. This is located some 28 million light-years away from the Milky Way.
[...] Dr Rosanne Di Stefano and colleagues searched for dips in the brightness of X-rays received from a type of object known as an X-ray bright binary. These objects typically contain a neutron star or black hole pulling in gas from a closely orbiting companion star. The material near the neutron star or black hole becomes superheated and glows at X-ray wavelengths. Because the region producing bright X-rays is small, a planet passing in front of it could block most or all of the X-rays, making the transit easier to spot.
The team members used this technique to detect the exoplanet candidate in a binary system called M51-ULS-1.
[...] The transit lasted about three hours, during which the X-ray emission decreased to zero. Based on this and other information, the astronomers estimate that the candidate planet would be around the size of Saturn, and orbit the neutron star or black hole at about twice the distance Saturn lies from the Sun.
Also at NASA.
A possible planet candidate in an external galaxy detected through X-ray transit
Previously: Detection of Extragalactic Exoplanets and Large Organic Molecules
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 26 2021, @01:47PM (2 children)
Common sense suggests that the jewels in the firmament are no more than 500 miles away, which is close enough that they can be reached by any vessel capable of navigating both the air and the waters above the firmament. Harvesting the jewels can provide a revenue stream for the 2nd incarnation of Musk to continue his mission.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 26 2021, @02:29PM (1 child)
Dear God I hope this is satire, it is getting so hard to tell these days.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 26 2021, @11:36PM
Crespo Dollar is a thing. Watch evangelicals on youtube and weep at the intellectual divide. Jewels in the firmament are a bedrock of Truth for most people.