Major Planet Discovery Announcement

Keep your eyes on NASA next Tuesday. SpaceRef.com is carrying a NASA press release that says the agency will announce the ‘discovery of a new class of planets’ next Tuesday at 1 PM EDT. The press conference will be carried live on NASA television or you can check the Webcast here. Exactly what this is escapes me, but I suspect we’re getting into the era of small planet detections, as per the story immediately below. Geoff Marcy and Paul Butler, planet finders extraordinaire, are among those who will appear on the NASA panel.