Kepler spacecraft discovers tiniest solar system yet found
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An artist's rendition of the Kepler spacecraft (Image: NASA)
A 3D model of the Kepler spacecraft (Image: NASA)
An artist's rendition of the Kepler spacecraft (Image: NASA)
Artist's rendering of KOI-961 (Image: NASA)
Comparison of KOI-961 and its planets to Jupiter and its moons (Image: NASA)
Photometer being lowered into Kepler spacecraft (Image: NASA)
Article Summary
Astronomers using data from NASA's Kepler mission have discovered the tiniest solar system found so far. The system consists of a single red dwarf star, known as KOI-961 and three planets which are 0.78, 0.73 and 0.57 times the radius of Earth. The planets are thought to be rocky - like Earth - but orbit much closer to their star making them too hot to be habitable.
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