radial velocity

Discovery Alert: A Rare Glimpse of a Newborn Planet – NASA Science

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Discovery Alert: A Rare Glimpse of a Newborn Planet – NASA Science

The massive planet, likely still glowing from the heat of its formation, lies in the Taurus Molecular Cloud, an active stellar nursery with hundreds of newborn stars some 430 light-years away. The cloud’s relative closeness makes it a prime target for astronomers. But while the cloud offers deep insight into the formation and evolution of … Read more

Discovery Alert: Spock’s Home Planet Goes ‘Poof’ – NASA Science

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Discovery Alert: Spock’s Home Planet Goes ‘Poof’ – NASA Science

The bad news for Star Trek fans comes from an instrument known as NEID, a recent addition to the complex of telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NEID, like other radial velocity instruments, relies on the “Doppler” effect: shifts in the light spectrum of a star that reveal its wobbling motions. In this case, parsing … Read more