Episode Synopsis "Double trouble"
Kepler recently discovered not one but two transiting planets orbiting the same star. Now, this isn't that surprising - many stars with multiple planets have long been identified (e.g. our Sun and Solar System), and since transiting planets are a result of favorable geometry (the planets happen to pass between us and their central star) and most planets orbit a star in the plane on the sky (one important reason why Pluto is no longer considering a planet by most astronomers). one would even expect this to happen. It is cool, never the less. about it here and here and here and here and here, with an audio report (courtesy of NASA) here.
Listen "Double trouble"
More episodes of the podcast You'd Prefer an Astronaut
- Volcanoes outside the Solar System
- The Everbrightening Supernova Remnant
- Solar Flares and You
- The Age of the Solar System
- The End of the Lone Astronomer
- How strong is Gravity?
- Ouch! The Light!
- Elliptical Crater
- How to make a supermassive black hole
- A WISE picture
- Poor Jupiter
- Pulsars and the Solar System
- Asteroids giving birth
- SOFIA
- The Sun and You
- Double trouble
- The Sun is really just another star
- U2 and NASA make a video
- 7 Little Planets orbitting one star
- How is a black hole like a Volcano?
- Another possible site...
- The moon is shrinking!
- Ancient star formation
- Dawn on an asteroid
- The nature of dark energy