Astronomers take first image of planet around Sun-like star
Posted: Tue, Sep 16, 2008, 8:26 AM ET (1226 GMT)
For the first time astronomers have directly imaged an extrasolar planet orbiting a star like our own Sun. A team from the University of Toronto used the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to detect the planet orbiting the star 1RXS J160929.1-210524, about 500 light-years from the Earth. The planet has an estimated mass eight times that of Jupiter and is 330 astronomical units from the star, an unusually large distance than enabled astronomers to pick out the planet from the glare of its star. How such a large planet got to be so far from its star is a mystery to astronomers.
For the first time astronomers have directly imaged an extrasolar planet orbiting a star like our own Sun. A team from the University of Toronto used the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to detect the planet orbiting the star 1RXS J160929.1-210524, about 500 light-years from the Earth. The planet has an estimated mass eight times that of Jupiter and is 330 astronomical units from the star, an unusually large distance than enabled astronomers to pick out the planet from the glare of its star. How such a large planet got to be so far from its star is a mystery to astronomers.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, October 3
ETH Space Researcher Thomas Zurbuchen Joins Blue Origin
Blue News — 12:21 am ET (0421 GMT) Swiss space researcher Thomas Zurbuchen to join Blue Origin
Swissinfo — 12:21 am ET (0421 GMT) With Elon Musk’s Return to Washington, Possible Conflicts of Interest Resurface
New York Times — 12:19 am ET (0419 GMT) World Space Week 2026: How Rocket Revolution is reshaping exploration
The Federal (India) — 12:17 am ET (0417 GMT) Could we ever create artificial gravity on a spaceship?
LiveScience — 12:16 am ET (0416 GMT) |
