First Fuzzy Photos of Planets Outside Solar System
Optical Images of an Exosolar Planet 25 Light-Years from Earth
The news article states that pictures of four exoplanets (planets that do not circle our sun) were taken by two research teams. The implications of these findings could help lead to finding life and hospitable planets outside of our solar system and these teams have been waiting for this discovery for many years. The article goes on to describe the planets and state other opinions from prominent scientists.
1) The news article makes several specific claims about the study. It states that there are photos of four planets outside of our solar system and describes the sizes and age of the planets by comparing them to other planets. The article also states that there were two teams of researchers, one who used telescopes and another team who used photos from the Hubble Space Telescope. The research paper that I found was written by the team that used the Hubble Space Telescope images and focuses on one exoplanet. They also describe the size and age of planets in broader terms, giving ranges for each in scientific terms. The main difference between the news article and the research paper is that the paper does not mention three other planets, however, that information is probably in the other team’s research.
2) The research paper gives explanations for the disparities among the research, which are not mentioned in the news article. The paper states that the flux in optical emission and photometric variability could be effected by emissions from brown dwarfs or by “vigorous” internal convection. It also states that the planet might have formed in “situ” and that the planet may have migrated. None of this is mentioned in the news article.
3) The original paper seems to be written by a team that is confident in their discoveries because they back every conclusion about the planet with their scientific observations, as can be seen in the conclusion. The news article does not state any degree of uncertainty, however, it gives other scientific opinions from outside teams.
4) The original paper did not describe any “broader implications” however, there were some in the news article. The news article states that the planets that were seen could indicate a possibility of other planets hospitable to life. The news article does not seem to gain these insights from the original paper but rather from quotes from the researchers themselves.
5) The original paper does not describe previous contradictory work but presents information in the form of optical observations that would indicated an “exoplanet candidate.”
6) The news article did state opposing sides in the form of opinions of other prominent scientists. These scientists said that the pictures need to be confirmed as exoplanets and not dwarf stars. The news article mentions that NASA backs up the discovery but does not state any supporting evidence.
First Fuzzy Photos of Planets Outside Solar System
Optical Images of an Exosolar Planet 25 Light-Years from Earth