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!

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