Largest known planet discovered

[DesertFox]

Scientists have discovered the universe's largest known planet, a giant ball made of mostly hydrogen that is 20 times larger than Earth and circling a star 1,400 light-years away.

Scientists believe the planet is 1.7 times the diameter of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and has a temperature of 2,300-degrees.

"There is probably not a really firm surface anywhere on the planet. You would sink into it," said Georgi Mandushev, a research scientist at Lowell Observatory and lead author of an article announcing the finding in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal Letters. ...

He said scientists "can't understand why these so-called fluffy planets are so fluffy. It really is a mystery, just how they can be so low-density."

More (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070807/D8QSG2LG0.html)

[DesertFox]

All the local planets call it "Fatty Fatty 2x4."

[DesertFox]

Actually, this is a relief. When you get a really big, BIG planet throwing its weight around, especially when its primary is a really small, SMALL star, things get all nutty and out of balance and you can't tell where anything is or was or will be, and it makes it hard to light up a smoke, even.

[DoctorDoom]

Scientists have discovered the universe's largest known planet ...One must admire the staggering presumptuousness of that statement, given that we have no clue about how many planets there are within a 100 light-year radius, let alone in the uncounted billions of galaxies in the universe.

[DeclinetoState]

The key word, Doc, is "known."

[DoctorDoom]

The words that raise an issue are "the universe's". Delete them and nothing changes.

[sunsettommy]

PHOENIX (AP) - Scientists have discovered the universe's largest known planet, a giant ball made of mostly hydrogen that is 20 times larger than Earth and circling a star 1,400 light-years away.

Scientists believe the planet is 1.7 times the diameter of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and has a temperature of 2,300-degrees.

"There is probably not a really firm surface anywhere on the planet. You would sink into it," said Georgi Mandushev, a research scientist at Lowell Observatory and lead author of an article announcing the finding in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal Letters.

my emphasis


A ball made mostly of Hydrogen will certaintly not be firm.

2300 degrees temperature and mostly hydrogen makes it a star.The article does not mention a spectral examination of the celestial body.

A low luminosity star is what it could be classified when they do the needed spectral research on it.

[Timberwolf]

a giant ball made of mostly hydrogen...

...and has a temperature of 2,300-degrees.
Ummm...I hate to nit-pick...but, wouldn't these two facts make it a STAR??

[Timberwolf]

Late to the party, but I'm glad someone else noticed. :biggrin: