Measuring the mass of a Mars-size exoplanet
Thursday, June 18, 2015 - 04:30
in Astronomy & Space
Determining the size of an Earth-size exoplanet by the amount of starlight it blocks hundreds of light-years away once was the realm of science fiction. Measuring the mass of such a small planet based on its gravity was another level entirely, but astronomers have done just that for an exoplanet fifty percent the size of Earth.