The Best Of Our Knowledge #1125

Astronomers have discovered the darkest known exoplanet - a distant, Jupiter-sized gas giant known as TrES-2b. Their measurements show that TrES-2b reflects less than one percent of the sunlight falling on it, making it blacker than coal or any planet or moon in our solar system.  And the most amazing thing about this discovery is that, apparently, you can find one too if you know where to look.
       
Today on The Best Of Our Knowledge, our astrobiology series takes us hundreds of light years away, beyond our galaxy...right in our back yard.

We’ll also spend an academic minute finding out how we actually know what orbiting distant stars.