Pasadena, Calif. -- The U.S. space agency says a new planet-hunting technique has recorded its first discovery -- a Jupiter-like planet orbiting one of the smallest stars known.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the technique, called astrometry, involves measuring the motions of a star as an unseen planet tugs the star back and forth. However, the method had failed to identify any exoplanets.
But now two astronomers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory using the technique have identified a new exoplanet around one of 30 stars they studied. It's the first exoplanet to be discovered using astrometry.
