A Big Week For Astronomy
The Brian Lehrer Show | Dec 7, 2011
It's been a big week for astronomy, with the discovery of both a giant black hole, and a "new Earth" -- a planet with very earth-like qualities about 600 light years away. Phil Plait, aka "The Bad Astronomer" at Discover Magazine, discusses the latest.
Listeners, here's a little about the "new Earth":
- this planet is 600 light-years away
- it’s about 2.4 times the size of Earth
- a year on this planet takes about 290 days
- it has an average temperature of about 72 degrees Fahrenheit
Knowing this, what would you name the new planet? Let us know!


