The exoplanet revolves around a star named EPIC211945201 or K2–236, with rotation period of just 19.5 days. It is very close to the host star with surface temprature of around 600 celsius. It is 27 times massive than earth and has 6 times larger radius. It is a gas giant like Saturn and Neptune.[image courtesy : Lucas Granito http://www.iflscience.com/space/unexpected-giant-exoplanet-discovered/ ] A team of Indian scientist from PRL have today announced the discovery of an exo-planet around a star 600 light years away. This is the first discovery of exo-planet orbiting other stars by Indian Scientists. The key to this discovery was the device PARAS (PRL Advanced Radial Velocity Abu Sky search) spectrograph attached to the 1.2 m telescope of PRL,at Gurushikhar Mount Abu in Rajasthan. It is also a matter of pride that this spectrograph was designed and developed entirely by the members of the Astronomy and Astrophysics division at PRL. so let us dive a bit deeper and unde
For more than past 20 years scientist are operating this facility in Antarctica at an altitude of 9000 feet and temperatures that never go above -30 degree centigrade. The sun shines so bright here in lack of Ozone layer that you may need sunscreen to protect your nostrils. But what on earth do you get for living in such harsh weather ? A few days back this place has marked its spot in the history of mankind when it detected Neutrinos from a definite location in sky. Let us look at what are Neutrinos, their detection and the implication to astronomy in future. Neutrinos ! [Standard model of elementary particles. Notice the 3 Neutrinos placed in the bottom left corner in the lepton section. Image Courtesy : Fermilab] All of us have conveniently learned is school that all the matter we see is made up of atoms, But an atom itself is made of protons, and neutrons in the center of it and electrons in an orbit around it. There are particles that are more fundamental to th