Astronomy News

Astronomy News, some real, some imaginary, all complex:

The French sent up a satellite today to search for extra-solar planets.* And not just the gas giants that we can detect from Earth - those large planets make a star appear to wobble as it orbits the center of mass. This satellite-based observation system can also see little Earth-sized planets that ever-so-slightly dim the light from a star as they pass between us and it. The truth is out there. BTW, NASA plans to launch a space telescope with a similar mission, perhaps in 2008.

Meanwhile NASA is launching a messenger craft to Pluto, the astronomical object formerly known as a planet. Break the news to him carefully - dogs can be sensitive sometimes.

Finally, there is new evidence that the moon landing was faked. Due to language,clicker discretion is advised.

_{OK, I hope you realized the last two were fake news, but just in case...}

*_{I didn't link to the Guardian Unlimited article, which quoted a leading scientist involved in the project saying it was unlikely to find any "little green men".}