Still Waters Posted November 19, 2010 #1 Share Posted November 19, 2010 (IP: Staff) · (edited) Astronomers have for the first time spotted a planet that originated outside our galaxy. To date about 500 planets have been discovered within our galaxy, but this is the first known to have been born elsewhere. The gas planet, at least 25 per cent heavier than Jupiter – or 400 times heavier than Earth – orbits a star that started life in a dwarf galaxy. Known as HIP 13044b, the hydrogen and helium planet sits in a solar system belonging to a group of stars called the Helmi stream, some 2,000 light years away from Earth. Read more... More here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11775803 Edited November 19, 2010 by Still Waters Additional source link added Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asheron Posted November 20, 2010 #2 Share Posted November 20, 2010 Hmmmm I wonder what this planet secret is...... too bad i think I'm not going to live long enough to know.... and I'm especially interested on the planet they found at the goldilocks zone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefinalfrontier Posted November 20, 2010 #3 Share Posted November 20, 2010 Hmmmm I wonder what this planet secret is...... too bad i think I'm not going to live long enough to know.... and I'm especially interested on the planet they found at the goldilocks zone From What ive read about this story on space.com it originated in a small cluster galaxy that was consumed by our own milkyway galaxy around 6-10 billion years ago, Cosmic canablism, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXHellkittiesXx Posted November 20, 2010 #4 Share Posted November 20, 2010 (edited) I wonder what life would be like on planets in other galaxies? Edited November 20, 2010 by xXHellkittiesXx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snuffypuffer Posted November 20, 2010 #5 Share Posted November 20, 2010 I wonder what life would be like on planets in other galaxies? Probably much like life on planets in this galaxy. I love how finding a new planet is almost commonplace now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrash Dracula Posted November 20, 2010 #6 Share Posted November 20, 2010 Makes me wonder how typical it is to have some random star floating around with a planetary system in tow out in intergalactic space. What a weird place that would be to live in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted November 21, 2010 #7 Share Posted November 21, 2010 (IP: Staff) · Makes me wonder how typical it is to have some random star floating around with a planetary system in tow out in intergalactic space. What a weird place that would be to live in. That's not what happened. It was always part of a galaxy, just not ours. It was part of a dwarf galaxy that merged into the milky way, so it was never really in intergalactic space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielost Posted November 21, 2010 #8 Share Posted November 21, 2010 That's not what happened. It was always part of a galaxy, just not ours. It was part of a dwarf galaxy that merged into the milky way, so it was never really in intergalactic space. this is true. but i have two questions. 1 did this star actually form before or after the two galaxies merged, if after than it should probable called a local star. 2 do the stars of this dwarf galaxy still more or less orbit the center of that galaxy as it orbits ours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted November 21, 2010 #9 Share Posted November 21, 2010 (IP: Staff) · this is true. but i have two questions. 1 did this star actually form before or after the two galaxies merged, if after than it should probable called a local star. I think you have answered your own question. The fact that the star this planet orbits is called extragalactic star and not local is a bit of a clue, besides how could it have formed in a dwarf galaxy AFTER it had merged with the milky way, by definition the dwarf galaxy ceased to be a separate entity once the two objects merged. 2 do the stars of this dwarf galaxy still more or less orbit the center of that galaxy as it orbits ours. They would have done whilst the dwarf galaxy was separate. Now that the dwarf galaxy has merged into the milky way it no longer exists and so stars can not orbit it's centre. HIP 13044 does, however, orbit the milky way in an unusual way. It is part of the Helmi stream. The Helmi Stream (consisting of between 10 & 100 million stars) all have similar orbits, but orbits which differ hugely from the average orbit of a milky way star. It is the existance of this stream which shows that a dwarf galaxy merged with the milky way. Several such streams exist. Large galaxies like ours tend to be rather cannibalistic in nature, adsorbing any small gallaxies which come too close. The galaxy that spawned the Helmi Stream was adsorbed between 6 and 9 billion years ago. All the stars in the stream are deficient in heavy elements (very common for very old stars). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielost Posted November 21, 2010 #10 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I think you have answered your own question. The fact that the star this planet orbits is called extragalactic star and not local is a bit of a clue, besides how could it have formed in a dwarf galaxy AFTER it had merged with the milky way, by definition the dwarf galaxy ceased to be a separate entity once the two objects merged. They would have done whilst the dwarf galaxy was separate. Now that the dwarf galaxy has merged into the milky way it no longer exists and so stars can not orbit it's centre. HIP 13044 does, however, orbit the milky way in an unusual way. It is part of the Helmi stream. The Helmi Stream (consisting of between 10 & 100 million stars) all have similar orbits, but orbits which differ hugely from the average orbit of a milky way star. It is the existance of this stream which shows that a dwarf galaxy merged with the milky way. Several such streams exist. Large galaxies like ours tend to be rather cannibalistic in nature, adsorbing any small gallaxies which come too close. The galaxy that spawned the Helmi Stream was adsorbed between 6 and 9 billion years ago. All the stars in the stream are deficient in heavy elements (very common for very old stars). ok then i have another question, since our star doesnt orbit the galaxy normally, then is it part of an older merging. right now we are in an arm of the galaxy, but we are not part of that arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitana2010 Posted November 21, 2010 #11 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Random thought, Why can't we ever give planets a COOL name? I mean, "HIB 13044"? Bor-ing. I vote we rename it "Jose" or "Alberto" something ethnic. After all, it IS an immigrant! *wink* Hey, someone check that planets papers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielost Posted November 21, 2010 #12 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Random thought, Why can't we ever give planets a COOL name? I mean, "HIB 13044"? Bor-ing. I vote we rename it "Jose" or "Alberto" something ethnic. After all, it IS an immigrant! *wink* Hey, someone check that planets papers! actually we will probable be calling them sol 1 sol 2 sol 3. letting the locals name them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefinalfrontier Posted November 21, 2010 #13 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Random thought, Why can't we ever give planets a COOL name? I mean, "HIB 13044"? Bor-ing. I vote we rename it "Jose" or "Alberto" something ethnic. After all, it IS an immigrant! *wink* Hey, someone check that planets papers! planets and stars were given numbers so as they could be catalouged for knowing what part of the galaxy or universe (exoplanets) they reside in, however some are named and most are named after the mythical gods, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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