Space & Astronomy

Possible exomoon candidate discovered

By T.K. Randall
April 11, 2014 ·  41 comments

Could scientists have discovered a moon orbiting a distant planet ? Image Credit: NASA/JPL The discovery was made quite by accident by astronomers observing a rare galactic alignment using telescopes in New Zealand and Tasmania.

It will be difficult to determine for sure if the object is indeed a moon, but if it is then it could be the first to be discovered outside of our own solar system.

"We won't have a chance to observe the exomoon candidate again," said lead study author David Bennett. "But we can expect more unexpected finds like this."

The discovery was made possible thanks to a technique known as gravitational microlensing in which a star passing in front of a more distant star can magnify and focus the light of the one behind it.

Source: NASA.gov | Comments (41)

Tags: Exomoon, Extrasolar Planet