Astronomers claim first exoplanet image
Posted: Sat, Sep 11, 2004, 6:05 PM ET (2205 GMT)
Astronomers said Friday that they have taken what they believe is the first direct image of an extrasolar planet. The object, orbiting the brown dwarf star 2M1207 230 light-years away, was observed in April using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. The images of the star also showed a faint companion about 55 AU (8.25 billion km) from the star that astronomers speculate is a planet. Spectra of the object, also taken at the VLT, revealed the presence of water there, leading astronomers to conclude that the object is a fairly small, cool object, and not a star. Based on models of the evolution of the star, they believe that the object is about five times as massive as Jupiter, similar to some of the larger exoplanets that have been indirectly discovered to date, but astronomers are not certain about whether the object can really be called a planet.
Astronomers said Friday that they have taken what they believe is the first direct image of an extrasolar planet. The object, orbiting the brown dwarf star 2M1207 230 light-years away, was observed in April using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. The images of the star also showed a faint companion about 55 AU (8.25 billion km) from the star that astronomers speculate is a planet. Spectra of the object, also taken at the VLT, revealed the presence of water there, leading astronomers to conclude that the object is a fairly small, cool object, and not a star. Based on models of the evolution of the star, they believe that the object is about five times as massive as Jupiter, similar to some of the larger exoplanets that have been indirectly discovered to date, but astronomers are not certain about whether the object can really be called a planet.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, July 24
ESA Awards ispace-EUROPE Contract for Execution of MAGPIE, ESA’s First Lunar Rover
ispace — 6:46 am ET (1046 GMT) AFLCMC Partners with Space Systems Command to Award Next-Gen MAVRC GPS Receiver Agreements
US Space Force — 6:44 am ET (1044 GMT) NNSA Delivers Next-Generation Global Burst Detector for Space Force GPS Satellite
US Department of Energy — 6:42 am ET (1042 GMT) Google Discloses $94.1 Billion in SpaceX Stock, Marking 6% Stake
Wall Street Journal — 6:39 am ET (1039 GMT) SpaceX Is Turning Away Falcon Customers in Major Bet on Starship
Bloomberg News — 6:37 am ET (1037 GMT) |
