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
|
|
NASA releases report on Starliner crewed test flight problems
Posted: Sun, Feb 22 11:45 AM ET (1645 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Monday, February 23
The space race is being rewritten by AI – and Europe risks falling behind
EU-Startups — 5:38 am ET (1038 GMT) Space Solar Power Will Inevitably Trump Trump’s War On Solar Power
CleanTechnica — 5:34 am ET (1034 GMT) Foushee outlines space policy at Duke amid competitive primary election
Duke Univ. Chronicle — 5:32 am ET (1032 GMT) How the free market can free NASA from the Space Launch System
The Hill — 5:28 am ET (1028 GMT) ESA Awards Contracts for Lunar Remote Camp Studies
European Spaceflight — 5:26 am ET (1026 GMT) |
