# More planets! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 1, 1999, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075 "1999-12-01T19:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 1999, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075/1 "1999-12-01T19:52:00Z")
Here is the lead in from an article published on “Science Now” yesterday. (the news page for AAAS, I would post a link, but it is a subscription only page, sorry.) > [@](#): > > “Scientists today announced the detection of six new planets outside our solar system, bringing the total to 28. All the new planetary systems, to be described in an upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal, have much more elliptical orbits than the planets in our solar system. For those of you keeping score at home, the number of known planets orbiting other stars is now three times higher than the number circling our sun.” I was going to put this into the other thread I started on extrasolar planets, but I couldn’t find it. **\

Tris\** ---

**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 1999, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075/2 "1999-12-01T20:55:00Z")
Three times. Wow. * * * “It is lucky for rulers that men do not think.” — Adolf Hitler ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 1999, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075/3 "1999-12-01T23:25:00Z")
I still wonder just how firm these “discoveries” are. Remember, we’re talking about barely detectable glitches in the movement of the parent stars in question. More than once in the past they’ve announced the detection of extra-solar planets, only to go “whoops, never mind” after reviewing the data. Maybe they should say they’ve _inferred_ the existence of extra-solar planets. ---
**Author:** ![hardcore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@hardcore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardcore)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075/4 "1999-12-02T01:17:00Z")
And while we’re at it, let’s make sure to say that we have _inferred_ the existence of black holes, quarks, mesons, neutrinos, pink unicorns… Wait, I did see a pink unicorn while I was drinking in college one time… ---
**Author:** ![neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neuro-trash_grrrl)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075/5 "1999-12-02T04:27:00Z")
Yes, and I once got hit on the head really hard, and saw some neutrinos. * * * “That’s entertainment!” —Vlad the Impaler ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075/6 "1999-12-02T09:13:00Z")
Well, I believe these latest ones were seen as actual eclipsing of their star’s disc of light. But, hey, ain’t the name of this forum General ???s? Vot’s der kveschun? Ray ---
**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 1999, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075/7 "1999-12-02T17:57:00Z")
The thing to keep in mind is that they have only “seen” one planet. All of the rest or inferred from the wobble of the star. This requires a big planet close to the sun. If the closest star to us [2nd closest if you count the sun], had a solar system like ours, we could not see/detect/infer any of it’s planets. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075/8 "1999-12-03T04:39:00Z")
Imply is to state, infer is to understand. You could imply the existence. (Spelling is an all together different matter) ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075/9 "1999-12-03T08:31:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Imply is to state, infer is to understand. You could imply the existence. Swing, and a miss, Mark. I would \*\* imply \*\* planets if all I did was talk about them. If, on the other hand I was to measure, and evaluate the light emissions of a stellar object over time, and compare them to mathematical models of doppler shifting due to acceleration from non-radiating near objects, I might \*\* infer \*\* the existence of planets. I would more than likely eschew implications, and simply state the observations upon which I made my inferences. After that I might be able to imply that you were a pretentious pissant, although you might not have the intelligence implied by my assessment that you could infer the insult intended in my implication. **\

Tris\** ---

**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-planets/5075/10 "1999-12-03T08:37:00Z")
Oh, and on a separate note: Preliminary reports of observations of another reputed stellar companion object are being examined to ascertain if they support the claims by observers that the spectra include **reflected** light. This is still an unconfirmed observation, but the technique appears to be sound. If it is verified, it will be a planetary object “seen” to be orbiting another star. **\

Tris\**