GIANT EXOPLANETS

The NASA Kepler telescope (0.95 m of diameter), dedicated to scrutinize 150 000 stars (launched in March of the 2009), has discovered during the first weeks of official observations 5 new giant exoplanets, counting this way but of 400 exoplanets orbiting their respective suns, although none of the size of the Earth. Exoplanets are detected as small black points while they pass before their suns (transit method). They are giant exoplanets but heavy that Jupiter, although less dense. When orbiting near their suns their surfaces exhibit melted lava, says William Borucki.

Dimitar Sasselov (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), believes that their suns are tiny stars (white dwarfs), of the size of the Earth which have lost their mass early on, diminishing the graveness that maintained them compact. The mission of the Kepler telescope is to locate exoplanets of the size of the Earth in the habitable area of their planetary systems. At the moment 3 exoplanets types exist: gassy giants, superhot and icy giants. The main instrument of the Kepler is a photometer loaded with CCDs (charge coupled devices), each one with capacity of 2200 x1024 pixels. The CCDs reads every 3 seconds, integrating their data every 30 minutes that store and transmit once a month to the Earth.

EXOPLANETAS GIGANTES

El telescopio Kepler de la NASA (0.95 m de diámetro), destinado a escrutinizar 150 000 estrellas (lanzado en Marzo del 2009), ha descubierto durante las primeras semanas de observaciones oficiales 5 nuevos exoplanetas gigantes, contabilizando asi mas de 400 exoplanetas orbitando sus respectivos soles, aunque ninguno del tamaño de la Tierra. Los exoplanetas son detectados como pequeños puntos negros mientras pasan delante de sus soles (método de transito). Son exoplanetas gigantes y mas pesados que Jupiter, aunque menos menos densos. Al orbitar cerca de sus soles sus superficies exhiben lava derretida, dice William Borucki.

Dimitar Sasselov (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), cree que sus soles son estrellas diminutas (enanas blancas), del tamaño de la tierra por haber perdido masa tempranamente, disminuyendo asi la gravedad que las mantenía compactas. La misión del telescopio Kepler es ubicar planetas del tamaño de la tierra en la zona habitable de sus sistemas planetarios. De momento existen 3 tipos de exoplanetas :gigantes gaseosos, supercalientes y gigantes helados. El instrumento principal del Kepler es un fotómetro cargado de CCDs (charge coupled devices), cada uno con capacidad de 2200 x1024 pixeles. Los CCd leen cada 3 segundos, integrando sus datos cada 30 minutos, que almacenan y trasmiten a la tierra una vez al mes.