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Science 22 April 1994:
Vol. 264. no. 5158, pp. 538 - 542
DOI: 10.1126/science.264.5158.538
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Articles

Confirmation of Earth-Mass Planets Orbiting the Millisecond Pulsar PSR B1257 + 12

Alexander Wolszczan 1

1 Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA.

The discovery of two Earth-mass planets orbiting an old (sim109 years), rapidly spinning neutron star, the 6.2-millisecond radio pulsar PSR B1257+12, was announced in early 1992. It was soon pointed out that the approximately 3:2 ratio of the planets' orbital periods should lead to accurately predictable and possibly measurable gravitational perturbations of their orbits. The unambiguous detection of this effect, after 3 years of systematic timing observations of PSR B1257+12 with the 305-meter Arecibo radiotelescope, as well as the discovery of another, moon-mass object in orbit around the pulsar, constitutes irrefutable evidence that the first planetary system around a star other than the sun has been identified.

Submitted on March 3, 1994
Accepted on March 31, 1994


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
A Pulsar, the Heliosphere, and Pioneer 10: Probable Mimicking of a Planet of PSR B1257+12 by Solar Rotation.
K. Scherer, H. Fichtner, J. D. Anderson, and E. L. Lau (1997)
Science 278, 1919-1921
   Abstract »    Full Text »
Proximity of Jupiter-Like Planets to Low-Mass Stars.
A. P. Boss (1995)
Science 267, 360-362
   Abstract »    PDF »
Pulsing Star Confirms More Planets in the Universe.
J. Travis (1994)
Science 264, 506-507
   PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)