Scientists think they’ve found a moon orbiting a world outside the solar system

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For the first time, astronomers think they’ve found solid evidence of a moon orbiting a planet outside of our solar system. 

And it’s a doozy. 

The exoplanet, named Kepler-1625b, is 8,000 light-years away and thought to be many times more massive than Jupiter, much larger than any world in our own solar system. The moon orbiting it is about the size of Neptune.

If confirmed, this will be the first time a moon has been found outside of the solar system, according to a new study detailing the finding in the journal Science Advances.

“It is an exciting reminder of how little we really know about distant planetary systems and the great spirit of discovery exoplanetary science embodies,” study co-author Alex Teachey said of the discovery in a statement.   Read more…

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Scientists discover 10 never-before-seen moons orbiting Jupiter, and one’s an oddball

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Jupiter is a huge planet with a ridiculous number of moons. 

And now, thanks to new research, that number just became even more ridiculous. 

Scientists have discovered 10 never-before-seen moons of Jupiter in 2017 and confirmed two others that had already been seen, bringing the total number of known moons circling the gas giant planet to 79, more than any other planet in the solar system.

How exactly did these moons evade detection for so long? Well, it’s not as if they’re large and bright like some of Jupiter’s other moons, for instance, Europa or Ganymede.  Read more…

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