Our solar system has large planets like Jupiter and Saturn. Some star systems have been noted to have large planets with the size of Jupiter. That is not the norm however, as large planets are likely to have Neptune's mass.
A new technique is being used on Astronomy today to study stars and planets. That technique is called gravitational microlensing. This is used by taking advantage of the light bending characteristics of large objects to view another object. Through this method astronomers can get a rough estimate on the size of space objects.
David Bennett, an astrophysicist from Goddard Space Flight Center and one of the members of the study, has said that the method is used to determine the mass of a star. This in turn can then give an estimate on the mass of a planet. Through this method more than 50 exoplanets have been discovered.
The method has been largely successful as it has made astronomers find distant objects. By far the method has been more successful than any other method that has been used. The method has been used with other methods to find out the planetary content of the Milky Way, as said by team member Takahiro Sumi from Osaka University.
Through this method, researchers have determined the frequency of the planets and its mass. A typical star then with a mass 60 percent that of the Sun will have a planet that has the mass of around ten and 40 times that of the Earth's mass, according to NASA. Neptune is around 17 times the Earth's mass.
It has been found out by the researchers then that planets will have more the mass of Neptune than it would Jupiter, as Science Daily reports. This would be for planets that are within the snow line, or the point where water would remain frozen as a planet is formed. The snow line would be about the distance from the Sun to the middle of the Asteroid Belt.
Planets nearer a star would then be formed into rocky planets, as the gases would form into a condense mass. This can be seen in the rocky inner planets in the solar system. The outer planets will more likely form into gaseous giants. With the study made, it has been determined that large planets will likely to have Neptune's mass. For the first time as well, weather patterns have been seen on a distant planet.
