"NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers a World Orbiting Two Stars. NASA's Kepler mission has turned fiction into fact. A world with a double sunset that was first imagined in Star Wars over 30 years ago in a galaxy far, far away has become scientific reality. NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet -- a planet orbiting, not one, but two stars -- 200 light-years from Earth." More information and source of the videos: www.nasa.gov

exoplanet astronomy NASA Kepler mission

NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers a World Orbiting Two Stars The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now scientific fact. NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet -- a planet orbiting two stars -- 200 light-years from Earth. Unlike Star Wars' Tatooine, Kepler-16b is cold, gaseous and not thought to harbor life, but its discovery demonstrates the diversity of planets in our galaxy. Previous research has hinted at the existence of circumbinary planets, but clear confirmation proved elusive. Kepler detected such a planet, known as Kepler-16b, by observing transits, where the brightness of a parent star dims from the planet crossing in front of it. "This discovery confirms a new class of planetary systems that could harbor life," Kepler principal investigator William Borucki said. "Given that most stars in our galaxy are part of a binary system, this means the opportunities for life are much broader than if planets form only around single stars. This milestone discovery confirms a theory that scientists have had for decades but could not prove until now." A research team led by Laurance Doyle of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., used data from the Kepler space telescope, which measures dips in the brightness of more than 150000 stars, to search for transiting planets. Kepler is the first NASA mission capable of finding Earth-size planets in or near the <b>...</b>

Kepler-16b Alien Sunset Kepler NASA Ames SETI Institute

Kepler-16b is trending after NASA announced the discovery of the first planet with two suns. Double star systems are common in the Milky Way, but the discovery puts to rest any doubts that a circumbinary planet, or a planet that orbits two stars instead of one, can form and exist in their vicinity. Astronomers have started referring to Kepler-16b as Tatooine after the fictional planet in the Star Wars saga famous for its two suns that is home to both Luke and Anakin Skywalker. Kepler-16b is about the size of Saturn and a mere 200 light-years from Earth. It orbits the binary star system every 229 days, while the two stars themselves orbit each other once every 41 days.

kepler-16b planet with 2 suns luke skywalker tatooine nasa saturn star wars milky way binary star circumbinary planet

11 January 2012 Time: 01:01 PM ET Astronomers have found more real-life versions of Luke Skywalker's home planet Tatooine from "Star Wars" — alien worlds that see two suns rise and set each day instead of one. And these two newfound worlds are also extremely close to the habitable zones of their parent stars, scientists say. The discovery cements what appears to be a new class of twin sun alien planets and may help astronomers estimate how many of such binary stars possess planets. The finding also suggests that many planets might lie in the habitable zones of such systems, researchers said. Astronomers used NASA's Kepler space telescope to identify the two so-called "circumbinary planets" amid 750 systems they sampled. Their discovery brings the total number of confirmed double-sun worlds up to three. Two worlds, four suns Both newfound twin-sun planets are low-density gas giants located around distant star pairs. [Gallery: "Tatooine" Planets With 2 Suns Found] The first, called Kepler-34 b, is about 22 percent of the mass of Jupiter (the largest gas giant in our solar system) and 76 percent the width of Jupiter. Kepler-34 b orbits two sunlike stars once every 289 days at about the same distance as Earth is from the sun. The planet is located about 4900 light-years from Earth. The second planet, called Kepler-35 b, orbits two stars that are 5400 light-years from Earth. It has about 13 percent the mass of Jupiter and is 73 percent as wide. It and orbits its parent stars <b>...</b>

Real-Life Tatooine Alien Planets With Twin Suns Kepler-34 Kepler-35

Using data from NASA's Kepler Mission, San Diego State University astronomers announced the discovery of two new transiting "circumbinary" planet systems — planets that orbit two stars. The planets in each of these systems have been provisionally named Kepler-34b and Kepler-35b. The Kepler-35 system is located 5400 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Cygnus. The stars are slightly smaller than our own Sun (80% and 89% in size, respectively) and circle each other every 21 days. The planet Kepler-35b orbits the two stars every 131 days. credit: Lior Taylor source: go.sdsu.edu

Kepler mission circumbinary planets double star extrasolar planets exoplanets solar systems space astronomy universe

Date- 11th Oct 11 Source- carnegiescience.edu 'A planet with two suns may be a familiar sight to fans of the Star Wars film series, but not, until now, to scientists. A team of researchers, including Carnegie's Alan Boss, has discovered a planet that orbits around a pair of stars. This is the first instance of astronomers finding direct evidence of a so-called circumbinary planet. A few other planets have been suspected of orbiting around both members of a dual-star system, but the transits of the circumbinary planet have never been detected previously.'

carnegie institution for science exoplanet kepler

SETI Talks archive: seti.org In this talk, Dr. Laraunce Doyle talks about how he led the Kepler team that discovered the Kepler-16b circumbinary planet. He also discusses several techniques for the detection of circumbinary planets (CBP, planets that circle two stars at once). This involves detection by transits (which in the case of CBP produce a quasi-periodic signal), eclipsing binary (EB) timing, dynamical timing of EBs, and a new detection technique called the "eclipse echo" EE method. With all these acronyms the detection of CBP around EBs with the EE method should make NASA happy. : )

Laurance Doyle exoplanets sagan carl sagan seti seti institute kepler tatooine kepler-16 kepler 16b space science binaries

This artist's movie illustrates Kepler-16b, the first directly detected circumbinary planet, which is a planet that orbits two stars. The movie begins by showing the gaseous surface of the rotating planet then pans out to show the stars it orbits. The two orbiting stars regularly eclipse each other, as seen from our point of view on Earth. The planet also eclipses, or transits, each star, and Kepler data from these planetary transits allowed the size, density and mass of the planet to be extremely well determined. The fact that the orbits of the stars and the planet align within a degree of each other indicate that the planet formed within the same circumbinary disk that the stars formed within, rather than being captured later by the two stars. NASA's Kepler telescope discovered the planet by observing it cross in front of, or transit, the pair of stars from our point of view on Earth. The stars can also be detected eclipsing each other. Stellar eclipses are shown here, as well as the transits of the planet across both stars. Such events allow astronomers to measure the sizes of the stars and the planet with extreme accuracy. Kepler-16b is one of the most accurately measured planets outside our solar system, with a size (radius) of 0.7538 that of Jupiter; a mass of 0.333 that of Jupiter (about the mass of Saturn), and a density of 0.964 grams per cubic centimeter. The planet is cold, lying just beyond the "habitable zone" of its star, and is made up of about half gaseous <b>...</b>

Kepler-16b Kepler 16 system Tatooine exoplanet habitable zone

NASA's Kepler space telescope has discovered its first circumbinary planet, a planet that orbits two suns. The cold, Saturn-sized planet is not in the star system's habitable zone. But, someone near the planet's surface could see double sunrises and sunsets, similar to what Luke Skywalker saw on Tatooine in the 1977 movie, "Star Wars."

NASA Kepler Double-Sun

September 15, 2011 (CERESTV.com) PASADENA, Calif. -- The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now scientific fact. NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet -- a planet orbiting two stars -- 200 light-years from Earth. Unlike Star Wars' Tatooine, the planet is cold, gaseous and not thought to harbor life, but its discovery demonstrates the diversity of planets in our galaxy. Previous research has hinted at the existence of circumbinary planets, but clear confirmation proved elusive. Kepler detected such a planet, known as Kepler-16b, by observing transits, where the brightness of a parent star dims from the planet crossing in front of it. "This discovery confirms a new class of planetary systems that could harbor life," Kepler Principal Investigator William Borucki, of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., said. "Given that most stars in our galaxy are part of a binary system, this means the opportunities for life are much broader than if planets form only around single stars. This milestone discovery confirms a theory that scientists have had for decades but could not prove until now." A research team led by Laurance Doyle of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., used data from the Kepler space telescope, which measures dips in the brightness of more than 150000 stars, to search for transiting planets. Kepler is the first NASA mission <b>...</b>

nasa Kepler Discovery Confirms First Planet Orbiting Two Stars

Sept 15, 2011 NEWS CLIP Scientists at NASA and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute [SETI] are informally calling the newly discovered world Tatooine, as homage to Skywalker's planet imagined by George Lucas. The so-called circumbinary planet has been dubbed with an official name that's much less interesting: Kepler-16b. Unlike the tagline of the Star Wars saga, Tatooine is not located in a "galaxy far, far away," it's right in our own backyard - relatively - about 200 light years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. Getting to Tatooine aboard a spacecraft traveling at light speed - 186282 miles per second - would take about two centuries. (The closest star to earth outside our solar system is about 4 light years away.)

planetx Twosuns 2012 Aliens Space CNN

Credits~ www.space.com ADDITIONAL VIDEO, [Currently cleaning up my comps.-Go to the following link for] "Finding" Tatooine-How Astronomer's did it" www.space.com _______________________________________ TheFifaJay in Association with, www.youtube.com www.youtube.com www.youtube.com Please Subscribe to ALL of us to get a full picture of events. Peace.

Tatooine Planet Star Wars Kepler 16 AB Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence SETI Saturn size circumbinary planets saga with two suns nasa jpl Darth Vader luke skywalker Lucas films Super Earth exoplanets ufo space alien aliens jedi

A new planet discovered has 2 suns . Luke Skywalker looks out over a desert dominated by two setting suns in an iconic scene from "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope." But this isn't just the stuff of fiction. Now, astronomers have confirmed the first direct evidence that planets with two suns do exist. Scientists at NASA and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute [SETI] are informally calling the newly discovered world Tatooine, as homage to Skywalker's planet imagined by George Lucas. The so-called circumbinary planet has been dubbed with an official name that's much less interesting: Kepler-16b. Unlike the tagline of the Star Wars saga, Tatooine is not located in a "galaxy far, far away," it's right in our own backyard - relatively - about 200 light years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. Getting to Tatooine aboard a spacecraft traveling at light speed - 186282 miles per second - would take about two centuries. (The planet nearest to earth, Venus, is about 26 million miles away at its closest approach). Using data from NASA's $600 million Kepler telescope now orbiting the sun, a team lead by SETI's Laurance Doyle detected the actual shadow of a planet as it crossed in front of its two suns - a scientific first. Before this discovery, astronomers could only infer that planets could circle two suns by looking at how the eclipses of those stars changed. "When we first discovered it ... I sent around a message, 'Hey, you know guys, we should ask George <b>...</b>

Double dawn the planet with two suns

Kepler-16b orbiting two stars. Star A and B are orbiting each other at their barycenter, or center of mass. Since Star A is more massive, the barycenter is closer to A than B. The planet, Kepler-16b, orbits the barycenter of Star A and B. This video is fixed on the barycenter. Made in Universe Sandbox, recorded with CamStudio.

space orbit planet stars binary circumbinary tatooine fraking awesome exoplanet kepler-16b universe sandbox camstudio kepler16b

The Soyuz spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Ron Garan and his fellow Expedition 28 flight engineers returned safely to Earth with a landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan. Administrator Charlie Bolden was on Capitol Hill for the announcement of NASA's selected design of its new Space Launch System. Construction has begun on the first new NASA orbit-bound, human spacecraft to be built in 20 years. NASA has agreed to collaborate with Alliant Techsystems on the development of ATK's commercial Liberty Launch System; part of the agency's Commercial Crew Development Round 2 activities. NASA's Kepler space telescope has discovered its first circumbinary planet, a planet that orbits two suns. NASA participated in a MacArthur Foundation-sponsored event to culminate a digital badges competition. During an elegant evening at the historic Caltech Athenaeum, JPL Director Charles Elachi was inducted into the French Legion, the highest honor awarded by France. A new interactive online program called 'Rockets to Race Cars' introduces NASCAR fans to NASA-created products making auto racing faster and safer.

ISS space station international

A planet with two sunsets has been discovered by Nasa's Kepler telescope mission. The findings confirm a new class of planetary systems. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com

Star Wars Planet Double Sunset Space Exploration Nasa Tatooine Sun Star circumbinary telescope

Washington, 19 Sep (EFE).- NASA has announced the discovery of a planet that orbits two suns, similar to the imaginary planet Tatooine in the science fiction saga 'Star Wars'.

efe nasa kepler 16b planet two suns twin circum binary circumbinary star wars tatooine

beforeitsnews.com There is a clear pattern in the MegaQuake/Axis Shifts of 2010 and 2011. Every 188-9 days, we have a quake above 7.0, and every 377 days the axis of the Earth shifts. In my opinion something external is causing this, possibly our binary solar system's twin sun, or a circumbinary planet in our system, that is getting closer.

that is getting closer.

Erica Hill and Chris Wragge discuss a new discovery in the science world -- a planet that orbits two suns, much like the fictional planet, Tatooine from "Star Wars."

cbsepisode the early show star wars planet suns two luke skywalker Tatooine science astronomy circumbinary

A planet orbiting a dual star system is just like the dusty 'Star Wars' home world of Luke Skywalker, according to a research team from Carnegie Mellon. And while many planets have been suspected of having two suns, this newfound planet is the first "circumbinary" planet confirmed by astronomers. Именно такую в начале 70-ых показал режиссер Джордж Лукас в «Звездных войнах». В течение тридцати лет ученые относились к фильму скептически. И вот — гипотеза подтвердилась. В Созвездии Лебедя и Лиры нашли планету, которая вращается вокруг бинарных звезд. Находится она на расстоянии двухсот световых лет от Земли. По размеру близка к Сатурну. Но, в отличии от своего кинопрототипа, необитаема. Уж слишком на ней холодно — минус 73 по Цельсию. Сделали уникальное открытие с помощью находящегося на орбите телескопа «Кеплер». NASA findet Planet mit 2 Sonnen. Wie im Science-Fiction-Film: NASA nimmt Himmelskörper mit zwei Sonnen unter die Lupe.

НАСА Звездные войны NASA Star Wars Люк Скайуокер Luke Skywalker открытие Кеплер телескоп space Солнце планета звезды Татуин Джодж Лукас Tatooine George Lucas

(Shrug) Actually this borders on a SCREW review, basically because it's not nearly as much fun as I remember. Still, for old times sake I am relenting. dan-ball.jp I get a bit of a Douglas Adams feeling when I'm playing snooker with planetoids.

planet simulation java browser based game review walkthrough

What happens if a comet of 400km of diameter hits the earth?... Is this the end of our world? ________________________________________ Song: Chiaki Ishikawa - Uninstall

Comet Meteor Simulator End Of The Wold Fin Del Mundo Cometa Meteorito Meteoro Planeta Tierra Sistema Solar Universo Galaxia

Scientists detected a new planet in the Kepler-16 system, a pair of orbiting stars that eclipse each other from our vantage point on Earth. When the smaller star partially blocks the larger star, a primary eclipse occurs, and a secondary eclipse occurs when the smaller star is occulted, or completely blocked, by the larger star. Astronomers further observed that the brightness of the system dipped even when the stars were not eclipsing one another, hinting at a third body. The additional dimming in brightness events, called the tertiary and quaternary eclipses, reappeared at irregular intervals of time, indicating the stars were in different positions in their orbit each time the third body passed. This showed the third body was circling, not just one, but both stars, in a wide circumbinary orbit. The gravitational tug on the stars, measured by changes in their eclipse times, was a good indicator of the mass of the third body. Only a very slight gravitational pull was detected, one that only could be caused by a small mass.

kepler exoplanet terrestrial planets

Animation- Kepler-11 and Six Orbiting Planets Source: NASA

Animation Kepler 11 and Six Orbiting Planets360p H 264 AAC

We take a look at all the new and exciting exoplanet news, how social media can help science, news about the Space Station and as always take a peek back into history and up in the sky this week. Show Notes & Download: bit.ly

exoplanet smallest tatooine circumbinary rings social media cholera flu moon app space station avoidance maneuver

Destination Innovation is a new series that explores the research, science and other projects underway at the NASA Ames Research Center. Episode 1 focuses on the Kepler Mission, a space telescope that is revolutionizing our knowledge of planets outside our Solar System. The mission's objective is to survey our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover Earth-size and smaller planets in or near the habitable zone, a region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Another goal is to determine how common or rare those planets are among the hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy. For more information about the Kepler mission, please visit www.nasa.gov For more information about NASA Ames, please visit www.nasa.gov

nasa ames research center ARC kepler space telescope exoplanets spacecraft Ames Research Center NASA Ames borucki batalha galaxy universe

Astronomers have found that Binary star systems, systems with two stars bound together by their gravity, are actually quite common. While all binary systems orbit their mutual center of gravity, not all binary star systems are eclipsing. This actually has more to do with us then it does with the distant star systems. If we view a binary system from the top or bottom, then one star does not pass in front of the other from our perspective and the amount of light we see from a star system does not vary. However, if we are happen to be looking right down the side of a binary system, one stars passage in front of the other can will cause the light from the other star to be blocked, and the amount of light coming in from the binary system will dim. Of course, binary systems are often comprised of two stars of different luminosities. When the brighter of the two stars eclipses the dimmer star, the drop in brightness is small, and we call this the secondary minimum. When the dimmer star eclipses the brighter, the drop is larger, and we call this the primary minimum.

binary star system eclipse

The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now scientific fact. NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet -- a planet orbiting two stars -- 200 light-years from Earth. Scientists detected the new planet in the Kepler-16 system, a pair of orbiting stars that eclipse each other from our vantage point on Earth. When the smaller star partially blocks the larger star, a primary eclipse occurs, and a secondary eclipse occurs when the smaller star is occulted, or completely blocked, by the larger star. This discovery confirms that Kepler-16b is an inhospitable, cold world about the size of Saturn and thought to be made up of about half rock and half gas. The parent stars are smaller than our sun. One is 69 percent the mass of the sun and the other only 20 percent. Kepler-16b orbits around both stars every 229 days, similar to Venus' 225-day orbit, but lies outside the system's habitable zone, where liquid water could exist on the surface, because the stars are cooler than our sun. credit: JPL / Caltech source: www.jpl.nasa.gov

Kepler 16-b Kepler mission exoplanet Tatooine