Astronomers find 50 new exoplanets: Richest haul of planets so far includes 16 new super-Earths. The HARPS spectrograph on the 3.6-metre telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile is the world's most successful planet finder [1].
The HARPS team, led by Michel Mayor (University of Geneva, Switzerland), have announced the discovery of more than 50 new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars, including sixteen super-Earths [2]. This is the largest number of such planets ever announced at one time [3]. The new findings are being presented at a conference on Extreme Solar Systems where 350 exoplanet experts are meeting in Wyoming, USA. "The harvest of discoveries from HARPS has exceeded all expectations and includes an exceptionally rich population of super-Earths and Neptune-type planets hosted by stars very similar to our Sun. And even better -- the new results show that the pace of discovery is accelerating," says Mayor. Probes May Find Remnants of Moon's Lost Sibling. NASA's GRAIL mission will determine what lies beneath the lunar crust by measuring the moon's gravitational field.
NASA's twin GRAIL probes are due to arrive on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The spacecraft will chase each other 34 miles above the moon's surface, speeding up and slowing down in response to gravitational forces. NASA Science.