Advance in astronomy 'can help find other worlds'
Sunday, 3. January 2016 - 16:31
Earth-sized world
Since surface gravity depends on the star's mass and radius, the method should also help astronomers work out the masses and sizes of distant stars - and any planets circulating around them. "If you don't know the star, you don't know the planet," said co-researcher Prof Matthews of the University of British Columbia, Canada. "The size of an exoplanet is measured relative to the size of its parent star. "If you find a planet around a star that you think is Sun-like but is actually a giant, you may have fooled yourself into thinking you've found a habitable Earth-sized world. "
Helen Briggs
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