Distant Planet Is Larger, Lighter Than Jupiter
From Times Wire Reports
Scientists said Thursday that they had spotted an unusually large and light planet orbiting a distant star -- a discovery that could force them to reexamine theories about how planets are formed.
The planet HAT-P-1, about 450 light-years from Earth, is the largest planet detected, roughly one-third larger in diameter than Jupiter, but only weighs half as much, astronomers with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at Harvard University said.
It is extremely close to its parent star, one-seventh of the distance between Mercury and the sun, and it makes a complete orbit once every 4.5 days.
