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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – University of San Diego astronomers have played a role in the recent discovery of a third planet in the Kepler-47 planetary system.
A team of researchers led by SDSU astronomers discovered a new Neptune-sized planet orbiting the two system suns between two previously discovered planets.
The planet, named Kepler-47d, was discovered with the help of a method called "transit method," according to the university. The method measures a brightness level to help detect the masses.
"If the orbital plane of the planet is aligned as seen from Earth, the planet can pass in front of the host stars, resulting in a measurable decrease in the observed brightness," describes a school statement.
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Previously, the planet's signal was too weak to be detected.
"We had seen a third planet in 2012, but with a single transit, we needed more data to be sure," said SDSU astronomer Jerome Orosz, the newspaper's main author. "With additional transit, the orbital period of the planet could be determined and we were then able to discover more transits that were hidden in the noise of previous data."
Kepler-47d is about seven times larger than the Earth and takes about 87 days to revolve around its suns.
"We certainly did not expect it to be the largest planet in the system. It was almost shocking, "said William Welsh, SDSU astronomer and co-author of the study.
The Kepler-47 system as a whole is also interesting. With two suns, it is the only circumbinary system known multi-planets. The system is extremely compact and will integrate perfectly into the Earth's orbit. It is located approximately 3340 light-years in the direction of the constellation Cygnus.
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