Hubble paying off its multi-billion launch... repost?

suprauto · Tue, May-25-2010, 08:11:52 PM

Pretty interesting stuff -- eerily too familiar:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100524...20100524201923

Hubble catches planet being devoured by its star

Mon May 24, 4:19 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The Hubble space telescope has discovered a planet in our galaxy in the process of being devoured by the star that it orbits, according to a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The doomed planet, dubbed WASP-12b, has the highest known surface temperature of any planet in the Milky Way -- around 1,500 degrees Celsius (2,800 degrees Fahrenheit).

But it could be enveloped by its own parent star over the next ten million years, the paper's authors have concluded.

Using a new instrument called the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph that was installed on Hubble in 2009, the researchers observed how the planet was whipped into an elongated shape by gravitational forces.

"We see a huge cloud of material around the planet, which is escaping and will be captured by the star. We have identified chemical elements never before seen on planets outside our own solar system," team leader Carole Haswell of The Open University in Great Britain said.

Discovered in 2008, WASP-12b is located about 600 light-years from Earth in the Auriga Constellation and is more than 300 times the size of Earth.

It also has a mass 40-percent greater than that of Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system.

It is so close to its parent star that it orbits it in little more than 24 hours.

Astronomers already knew that stars will swallow a planet that comes too close to it, but this is the first time that the phenomenon has been observed so clearly.

The paper, which was published in the May 10 edition of The Astrophysical Journal Letters, confirms a theoretical paper published in the journal Nature last Friday by Shu-lin Li, an astronomer at Peking University in Beijing.

Shu-lin had predicted that the planet's surface would be distorted by the star's gravitational pull, and that gravitational tidal forces would make the interior so hot that it would greatly expand its outer atmosphere.

"..It is so close to its parent star that it orbits it in little more than 24 hours..."

Ginsu Tim · Tue, May-25-2010, 08:16:08 PM

That's pretty damned amazing... I can't wait to see more stuff like this come through the pipe from Hubble.

I wonder why god made that happen

**Porshapwr** · Tue, May-25-2010, 08:18:58 PM

Saw it earlier - figured Phil or Sirius would be on top of it.

Pretty damn cool.

suprauto · Tue, May-25-2010, 08:33:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porshapwr

Saw it earlier - figured Phil or Sirius would be on top of it.

Pretty damn cool.

Yeah, frankly I was shocked.

Cheeze · Tue, May-25-2010, 10:28:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porshapwr

Saw it earlier - figured Phil or Sirius would be on top of it.

Pretty damn cool.

Quote:

Originally Posted by suprauto

Yeah, frankly I was shocked.

I have let the forum down, my apologies.

:carradine:

**AbaddonFlame** · Tue, May-25-2010, 08:26:53 PM

Quote:

But it could be enveloped by its own parent star over the next ten million years

Guess I'll have to wait on that one :popcorn:

suprauto · Tue, May-25-2010, 08:32:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ginsu Tim

That's pretty damned amazing... I can't wait to see more stuff like this come through the pipe from Hubble.

I wonder why god made that happen

PORSHAPWR POLICE

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbaddonFlame

Guess I'll have to wait on that one :popcorn:

Could always join Ingrid (see above):

"Meet Ingrid, a pitbull perhaps taking more Viagra than any man could afford to take here on Long Island."

(...somehow the phrase "..if she were the last woman on earth..." comes to mind...)

Pujel · Tue, May-25-2010, 09:16:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suprauto

eerily too familiar:

"..It is so close to its parent star that it orbits it in little more than 24 hours..."

Not sure I understand what you mean. Are you implying that our earth orbits our sun in 24 hours? Because you would be wrong if you are....

**John_T** · Tue, May-25-2010, 10:38:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pujel

Not sure I understand what you mean. Are you implying that our earth orbits our sun in 24 hours? Because you would be wrong if you are....

Recommended: Remedial Reading 101

Ginsu Tim · Tue, May-25-2010, 10:41:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John_T

Recommended: Remedial Reading 101

Tue, May-25-2010, 08:11:52 PM	#1
suprauto Ifakbeinstlktcuzimjusttha timportant Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,435 Reputation: 0	Hubble paying off its multi-billion launch... repost? Pretty interesting stuff -- eerily too familiar: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100524...20100524201923 Hubble catches planet being devoured by its star Mon May 24, 4:19 pm ET WASHINGTON (AFP) – The Hubble space telescope has discovered a planet in our galaxy in the process of being devoured by the star that it orbits, according to a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The doomed planet, dubbed WASP-12b, has the highest known surface temperature of any planet in the Milky Way -- around 1,500 degrees Celsius (2,800 degrees Fahrenheit). But it could be enveloped by its own parent star over the next ten million years, the paper's authors have concluded. Using a new instrument called the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph that was installed on Hubble in 2009, the researchers observed how the planet was whipped into an elongated shape by gravitational forces. "We see a huge cloud of material around the planet, which is escaping and will be captured by the star. We have identified chemical elements never before seen on planets outside our own solar system," team leader Carole Haswell of The Open University in Great Britain said. Discovered in 2008, WASP-12b is located about 600 light-years from Earth in the Auriga Constellation and is more than 300 times the size of Earth. It also has a mass 40-percent greater than that of Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system. It is so close to its parent star that it orbits it in little more than 24 hours. Astronomers already knew that stars will swallow a planet that comes too close to it, but this is the first time that the phenomenon has been observed so clearly. The paper, which was published in the May 10 edition of The Astrophysical Journal Letters, confirms a theoretical paper published in the journal Nature last Friday by Shu-lin Li, an astronomer at Peking University in Beijing. Shu-lin had predicted that the planet's surface would be distorted by the star's gravitational pull, and that gravitational tidal forces would make the interior so hot that it would greatly expand its outer atmosphere. "..It is so close to its parent star that it orbits it in little more than 24 hours..." __________________ *"No patriotic flag is large enough to cover the blood of innocents."* ------------------------ *"Apparently you don't get how the forum works. Private arguments are done via PM's or emails. If you take it public, expect to get crapped upon when it's deserved." - deilenberger* ------------------------ 1965 AC Shelby COBRA. 427 side-oiler, S/B to 468. 855 hp. Anniv. Car. - sold -------------------------- "Corner carver?? Are you kidding me? That colossal clydesdale couldn't carve the corner off a milk-fed baby vealchop if you gave it a free set of Ginzu knives and a lifetime membership with a hari-kari instructor!" ---------------------------- *Curb inbreeding: BAN Country Music.* //Power option: J-79

Tue, May-25-2010, 08:16:08 PM	#2
Ginsu Tim Salty, Nutty, Bland. Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 9,080 Reputation: 0 Location: Seattle	That's pretty damned amazing... I can't wait to see more stuff like this come through the pipe from Hubble. I wonder why god made that happen __________________ 2006 Carbon Black M3 - Dinan SSK, CSL rotors, Bimmerworld SS brake lines, PFC 06, Apex Arc 8, Gravel: carefully distributed throughout chassis & some body panels (for ballast) 1988 Alpine White 325ix (OO==[][]==OO) Last edited by Ginsu Tim; Tue, May-25-2010 at 08:19:14 PM.

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Tue, May-25-2010, 08:18:58 PM	#3
Porshapwr Hello. Is it me your looking for? Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 47,855 Blog Entries: 1 In the garage: '99 BMW M3 Reputation: 107 Location: Your mind	Saw it earlier - figured Phil or Sirius would be on top of it. Pretty damn cool.