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Old 04-24-2011, 08:01 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Default Two planets found sharing one orbit

Buried in the flood of data from the Kepler telescope is a planetary system unlike any seen before. Two of its apparent planets share the same orbit around their star. If the discovery is confirmed, it would bolster a theory that Earth once shared its orbit with a Mars-sized body that later crashed into it, resulting in the moon’s formation.

The two planets are part of a four-planet system dubbed KOI-730. They circle their sun-like parent star every 9.8 days at exactly the same orbital distance, one permanently about 60 degrees ahead of the other. In the night sky of one planet, the other world must appear as a constant, blazing light, never fading or brightening. Amazing, eh?

Two planets found sharing one orbit - space - 24 February 2011 - New Scientist

I believe that Kepler will find a lot more planets, and many of them like us so one of them could be our new home in a few hundred years time.
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