A transiting giant planet with a temperature between 250 K and 430 K.

Of the over 400 known exoplanets, there are about 70 planets that transit their central star, a situation that permits the derivation of their basic parameters and facilitates investigations of their atmospheres. Some short-period planets, including the first terrestrial exoplanet (CoRoT-7b), have been discovered using a space mission designed to find smaller and more distant planets than can be seen from the ground. Here we report transit observations of CoRoT-9b, which orbits with a period of 95.274 days on a low eccentricity of 0.11 +/- 0.04 around a solar-like star. Its periastron distance of 0.36 astronomical units is by far the largest of all transiting planets, yielding a 'temperate' photospheric temperature estimated to be between 250 and 430 K. Unlike previously known transiting planets, the present size of CoRoT-9b should not have been affected by tidal heat dissipation processes. Indeed, the planet is found to be well described by standard evolution models with an inferred interior composition consistent with that of Jupiter and Saturn.

Deficiency of molecular hydrogen in the disk of beta Pictoris.

Molecular hydrogen (H2) is by far the most abundant material from which stars, protoplanetary disks and giant planets form, but it is difficult to detect directly. Infrared emission lines from H2 have recently been reported towards beta Pictoris, a star harbouring a young planetary system. This star is surrounded by a dusty 'debris disk' that is continuously replenished either by collisions between asteroidal objects or by evaporation of ices on Chiron-like objects. A gaseous disk has also been inferred from absorption lines in the stellar spectrum. Here we present the far-ultraviolet spectrum of beta Pictoris, in which H2 absorption lines are not seen. This allows us to set a very low upper limit on the column density of H2: N(H2) 6 x 10-4. As CO would be destroyed under ambient conditions in about 200 years (refs 9, 11), our result demonstrates that the CO in the disk arises from evaporation of planetesimals.

Rheological characterization of pharmaceutical powders using tap testing, shear cell and mercury porosimeter.

Most of the pharmaceutical processes involved in the manufacturing of so lid dosage forms are connected with powder flow properties, at least for some of the intermediate steps. Powder flow characteristics are commonl y investigated by various measurements, such as handling angles, tap tes ting, shear cell measurements, etc. All these approaches allow the calc ulation of indices characterising powder flowability. Unfortunately, th ese methodologies are highly product consuming, which is a limitation in the first steps of a novel drug development, when only a small amount of product is available. The use of mercury porosimetry to evaluate compre ssibility and flow properties of powders could be a new and alternative approach to obtain insight in the rheological properties of granular med ium by the interpretation of the first part of programs (low pressures) . We have developed such an evaluation and compared the results obtaine d with those given by tap testing and shear cell measurements, applied t o four excipients for direct tabletting and three different drugs. Merc ury porosimetry turned out to be a sensitive technique, able to providequantitative information about powder flow properties, complemen ted by an evaluation of particles micro porosity and size distribution, in a single step. These characterisations are obtained with only approx imately 250mg of bulk powder compared to high quantities ( >100g) needed for other methods.