Smaller Than Earth-Sized Exomoon Discovered?

astroengine writes "Through the technique of microlensing, a candidate exomoon has been discovered in orbit around a free-floating planet about 1,600 light-years away toward the galactic bulge. The microlensing event, MOA-2011-BLG-262, was detected by the MOA-II telescope at Mt. John University Observatory (MJUO) in New Zealand and it appears to have a mass of approximately half that of Earth. The host planet is around 4 times the mass of Jupiter. Unfortunately there cannot be further studies of his particular exoplanet-exomoon pair (as microlensing events are transient and random), so the astronomers who made the discovery are remaining cautious and point out that although the exoplanet-exomoon model fits the data the best, there's a possibility that the lensing object may have been a more distant star with a massive exoplanet in tow. Microlensing surveys are, however, sensitive to low mass exoplanets orbiting massive free-floating planets, so this is a tantalizing first-detection. The study's pre-print publication has been uploaded to the arXiv."

Is it there?

[Anonymous Coward]

How do we know it's there? Sure they told us, but it's not like we can check it ourselves. It's not like we have a spaceship, which can take us there and see for ourselves. With all the NSA talk it could actually be healthy to think wider and more generally who can be trusted? This is specially interesting with claims nobody else can test for themselves.

Having said that I have to say that it is entirely possible that this is the truth and I have no reason not to believe their reported find. I think it is interesting, but to be honest it is of little use. We kind of knew other planets could have moons and it isn't like we will start to mine this one or anything,

Re:Ever noticed

[strength_of_10_men]

Only one nation has even managed to put a man on the MOON

All those losers who studied the moon before we had spaceflight should have been doing something more productive, amirite?

...or the people here could be so introverted they do not care and are not even listening.

you mean people such as yourself?