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Keyword: corot2b

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  • Noisy star masks planet's true size [ Corot-2b ]

    07/15/2009 9:21:26 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 1 replies · 307+ views
    Australian BC ^ | Thursday, 9 July 2009 | Heather Catchpole
    Astronomers observing exoplanets around other stars may be underestimating their size, according to a German study. The researchers believe the error may be due to active stars adding 'noise' to the observation of exoplanets using the transit method... The transit method detects exoplanets as they pass in front of their parent star, reducing the amount of light reaching telescopes on, and orbiting, Earth. Although the transit method isn't the best method for detecting exoplanets, it provides a reliable estimate of its size and mass. PhD student Stefan Czesla of the Hamburg Observatory in Germany, and colleagues, examined the giant exoplanet...