'Roundest known space object' identified

Astronomers claim to have discovered the roundest object ever measured in nature.

Artwork: Kepler 11145123 (L) compared to the Sun

Kepler 11145123 is a distant, slowly rotating star that's more than twice the size of the Sun.

Researchers were able to show that the difference between its radius as measured to the equator and the radius measured to the poles was just 3km.

"This makes Kepler 11145123 the roundest natural object ever measured," said lead author Prof Laurent Gizon.

He added that it was "even more round than the Sun".

Prof Gizon, from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), and his colleagues used a technique called asteroseismology - the study of how stars pulsate, or oscillate.

Nasa's Kepler space telescope observed the star's oscillations continuously for more than four years.

The periodic expansions and contractions of Kepler 11145123 can be gleaned from fluctuations in its brightness. And from these data, astronomers were able to extract information about its shape.

Using the method, Prof Gizon and his colleagues discovered that the star rotated faster at the surface than in the core, contributing to an unexpected rounding of its form.

The difference of 3km, between the polar and equatorial radii, is tiny compared to the star's mean radius of 1.5 million km.

The authors say that this distortion is probably caused by factors other than rotation alone. They suggest that a weak magnetic field surrounds the star, making the star appear even more rounded.

The research is published in the journal Science Advances.

Space Scientists Launch Crowdfunding Campaign To Spot A 'Blue Dot' In Space

Space scientists and research organisations are on a mission to spot a blue dot in our nearest star system, which will indicate there might be life on other Earth-like planets.

Representational image/Reuters

Through “Project Blue: A Space Telescope to Photograph Another Earth” scientists and experts from University of Massachusetts Lowell and SETI Institute, among others, are appealing to the public to fund their search to find life in neighbouring star system Alpha Centauri A and B. With funds raised, they will build a telescope to observe planets.

Their goal is actually really simple (well in theory at least because a task like this can take years) to capture an image visible to the naked eye of orbiting planets. Spotting a “pale blue dot” could indicate the existence of oceans or even an atmosphere, which means the possibility of life.

The project plans to launch in 2020, only four years away so “we started this campaign,” they wrote on Kickstarter, “with the belief that together, people all over the world could push the boundaries of discovery in space, and possibly achieve one of the greatest milestones of human exploration”.

New Discovery Holds the Key to Possible Alien Life on Mars

Space News: New Discovery Holds the Key to Possible Alien Life on Mars

Alien life in Mars might have been possible in a recently discovered depression.
(Photo : NASA/Getty Images)

Scientists have recently discovered a strange depression on Mars that might finally answer the age-old question if there are extreterrestrial life or aliens on Mars.


Since ancient times, humanity has always been interested in what lies beyond the threshold of the planet's atmosphere. There have been troves of theories, scientific initiatives and researches dedicated to uncovering the truth surrounding the existence of alien life.

Mere days ago, RDMag published a report detailing the discovery of a peculiar depression on the surface of the red planet. The depression, which is located near the rim of the Hellas basin, seems to have all the requirements that could foster microbial life. According to Joseph Levy, research associate from the University of Texas and lead author of the study, the location is warm and chemical-rich enough to have been able to produce primitive forms of life.

"We were drawn to this site because it looked like it could host some of the key ingredients for habitability - water, heat and nutrients," explained Levy in a statement as reported by The Independent.



The team initially encountered the odd depression in 2009. However, it was not until earlier this year when scientists were able to analyze the location using stereoscopic images.

"These landforms caught our eye because they're weird looking. They're concentrically fractured so they look like a bulls-eye. That can be a very diagnostic pattern you see in Earth materials" explained Levy.

Nevertheless, Levy's research is not the only study that tackled the existence of alien life in Mars recently. According to Dr. Christian Schroder from Stirling University, life in Mars could only have been possible beneath the planet's dry surface.


"For life to exist in the areas we investigated, it would need to find pockets far beneath the surface, located away from the dryness and radiation present on the ground" explained Schroder as reported by The Independent.