Astronomers observe smallest exoplanet to date via direct imaging
Posted: Wed, Jun 5, 2013, 8:56 AM ET (1256 GMT)
European astronomers announced this week the discovery of the smallest extrasolar planet to date that has been directly observed by telescopes. The planet, HD 95086 b, has an estimated mass of four to five times that of Jupiter and orbits its star at about twice the distance Neptune orbits the Sun. Astronomers spotted the planet in images taken by one of the 8.2-meter telescopes of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, observing at infrared wavelengths and using adaptive optics to correct for distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere. Most exoplanets discovered to date have not been seen directly, but instead indirectly detected as they transit across their stars' disks, causing minute decreases in the stars' brightness, or through periodic Doppler shift variations in stellar spectra as the planets' orbits cause gravitational wobbles in the star.
European astronomers announced this week the discovery of the smallest extrasolar planet to date that has been directly observed by telescopes. The planet, HD 95086 b, has an estimated mass of four to five times that of Jupiter and orbits its star at about twice the distance Neptune orbits the Sun. Astronomers spotted the planet in images taken by one of the 8.2-meter telescopes of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, observing at infrared wavelengths and using adaptive optics to correct for distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere. Most exoplanets discovered to date have not been seen directly, but instead indirectly detected as they transit across their stars' disks, causing minute decreases in the stars' brightness, or through periodic Doppler shift variations in stellar spectra as the planets' orbits cause gravitational wobbles in the star.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Apex becomes billion-dollar company with $200 million Series D round
Posted: Sun, Sep 14 4:09 AM ET (0809 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Monday, September 15
Elon Musk's Starlink reports service outage, thousands of users affected
Reuters — 1:23 am ET (0523 GMT) What does the loss of U.S. Space Command mean to Colorado Springs?
Denver Post — 1:21 am ET (0521 GMT) SpaceX Launches Northrop Grumman Cargo Ship To ISS
Aviation Week — 1:18 am ET (0518 GMT) SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Sunday
WESH-TV Orlando — 1:18 am ET (0518 GMT) Apollo 13 made Jim Lovell a legend generations after the space race
The Hill — 1:09 am ET (0509 GMT) |
