Smallest known exoplanet may actually be Earth-mass

[Reiko]

The smallest planet around a normal star other than the Sun may be even smaller than first thought. A new analysis suggests the rocky body weighs just 1.4 Earths - less than half the original estimate. Observations over the next few months should test the prediction.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1 ... hmass.html

Interesting!

[ajtribick]

I'm going to have to revise my microlensing planets add-on sometime.

Plus: smallest known exoplanet? Does no-one know their history these days?

[Hungry4info]

Ajtribick, I would wait until a paper from arXiv or something comes out before you update your microlensing planets. NewScientist seems to be the only ones reporting this, and they're only speculating.

Plus: smallest known exoplanet? Does no-one know their history these days?

Of course not, don't you remember Gliese 436 c? That was also the smallest exoplanet!

And do you know how many times NASA has discovered water on mars for the first time?

[ajtribick]

This is all just misinterpretation in the media.