Smallest known extrasolar planet is found

SOUTH BEND, Ind., June 4 (UPI) -- U.S.-led astronomers have found an extrasolar planet only three times more massive than Earth, making it the smallest yet found orbiting a normal star.

Led by David Bennett of the University of Notre Dame, the international research team said the star itself is not large, perhaps as little as 1/20th the mass of our sun.

"Our discovery indicates that even the lowest mass stars can host planets," said Bennett. "No planets have previously been found to orbit stars with masses less than about 20 percent that of the sun, but this finding indicates that even the smallest stars can host planets."

The findings were presented Monday in St. Louis during a meeting of the American Astronomical Society and have been accepted for publication in the Sept. 1 issue of the Astrophysical Journal.