Astronomy
The picture above is the first picture of a planet (top-left) orbiting a sun-like star. It was taken by the 270-inch diameter Gemini North Telescope, located on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
The star, 1RXS J160929.1-210524, is located in the Scorpius constellation, 500 light-years away from Earth. This star is very similar to our Sun, but is younger.
However, more interesting is the planet that is orbiting that star. This planet has a mass 7 to 12 times larger than Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. It also lies 30 billion miles (48 million km) away from the star, 330 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
Yet, the importance of this discovery is not just in the comparison of this system to our own system. It is only the third candidate planet outside our solar system that has been photographed by us. The astronomers who have made this discovery are checking if the planet is moving with its star through space, confirming that is an actual planet. This may take many years.
Image: Gemini Observatory
- Big Planet, Small Star
One of the smallest stars in the Galaxy has been found to have a planet orbiting it that is six times more massive than Jupiter. This gas giant is as far from its star as Mercury is from our Sun, but because the star is so small, it is like a scaled...
- Rocky Earthlike Planet Discovered
Researchers on 21.4.09 confirmed the existence of a rocky Earthlike planet with a mass of 1.9 Earth masses, orbiting in the Gliese 581 system. Another planet in the four planet system was also found to be lying in the star's habitable zone, the...
- A Nearby Watery Planet
A new rocky planet, GJ 1214b, has been found very close to the solar system, one of a few hundred exoplanets currently known. Making this discovery special, though, is that the planet contains water, being almost completely covered by it, and that its...
- Carbon Dioxide On Extrasolar Planet
Artist's View of the Extrasolar Planet HD 189733b orbiting the star HD 189733 Just a short while ago, the Hubble Space Telescope took the first visible-light photograph of an extrasolar planet, a planet outside our solar system. Now just recently,...
- First Ever Ringed Planet Beyond Our Solar System Found.
An image of SaturnThe first-ever ringed planet beyond our solar system has been found by astronomers. Named as J1407b, has a disk of 30-odd rings which is so vast that, had it been around Saturn, it would have dominated our night sky. Matthew Kenworthy...
Astronomy
Another Extrasolar Planet
The picture above is the first picture of a planet (top-left) orbiting a sun-like star. It was taken by the 270-inch diameter Gemini North Telescope, located on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
The star, 1RXS J160929.1-210524, is located in the Scorpius constellation, 500 light-years away from Earth. This star is very similar to our Sun, but is younger.
However, more interesting is the planet that is orbiting that star. This planet has a mass 7 to 12 times larger than Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. It also lies 30 billion miles (48 million km) away from the star, 330 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
Yet, the importance of this discovery is not just in the comparison of this system to our own system. It is only the third candidate planet outside our solar system that has been photographed by us. The astronomers who have made this discovery are checking if the planet is moving with its star through space, confirming that is an actual planet. This may take many years.
Image: Gemini Observatory
- Big Planet, Small Star
One of the smallest stars in the Galaxy has been found to have a planet orbiting it that is six times more massive than Jupiter. This gas giant is as far from its star as Mercury is from our Sun, but because the star is so small, it is like a scaled...
- Rocky Earthlike Planet Discovered
Researchers on 21.4.09 confirmed the existence of a rocky Earthlike planet with a mass of 1.9 Earth masses, orbiting in the Gliese 581 system. Another planet in the four planet system was also found to be lying in the star's habitable zone, the...
- A Nearby Watery Planet
A new rocky planet, GJ 1214b, has been found very close to the solar system, one of a few hundred exoplanets currently known. Making this discovery special, though, is that the planet contains water, being almost completely covered by it, and that its...
- Carbon Dioxide On Extrasolar Planet
Artist's View of the Extrasolar Planet HD 189733b orbiting the star HD 189733 Just a short while ago, the Hubble Space Telescope took the first visible-light photograph of an extrasolar planet, a planet outside our solar system. Now just recently,...
- First Ever Ringed Planet Beyond Our Solar System Found.
An image of SaturnThe first-ever ringed planet beyond our solar system has been found by astronomers. Named as J1407b, has a disk of 30-odd rings which is so vast that, had it been around Saturn, it would have dominated our night sky. Matthew Kenworthy...