Best ever picture of another world: the extrasolar planet Beta Pictoris b

This pixel point may seem at first glance something of little interest. However, we face nothing less than the best of today exoplanet photos.

As we know, called exoplanets planets orbiting stars other than the sun. Compared with its luminaries are extremely small and dim. That is why it is very difficult to detect them. However, no difficulties have not prevented a team of researchers to make optical snapshot of Beta Pictoris b, which is a gas giant. Photography was obtained using highly sensitive telescope Gemini Planet Imager. The planet is about a million times less than the star. Scientists have put a lot of effort in order to isolate the light of recent and allow the reflected waves to penetrate the Earth's atmosphere distorts them.

Let the plain view of the picture does not confuse the reader: we face a real giant. Mass of Beta Pictoris b exceeds the mass of Jupiter is about 10-12 times. If we draw an analogy with our own solar system, the exoplanet's orbit is comparable in its distance from the Sun to the orbit of Saturn. With regard to the "parent" star, it is 8.7 times brighter than our star and its massive 1.7 times. Star Beta Pictoris is located at a distance of 63 light years from us. The system is extremely young: her age can be up to 20 million years.

Needless to say that the observation of exoplanets - the question is very complex, and sometimes you can only guess what they are. Gas giants are composed of different gases at their center may be metallic or rocky core. The lion's share of the currently known extrasolar planets are gas giants; to identify them more easily than the other planets.

Answers to many questions will allow astronomers Space Telescope "James Webb Space Telescope," which NASA plans to launch in 2018. At the same time the first studies can be expected no earlier than 2019.

Recall that in August this year, another group of astronomers have discovered an exoplanet very young 51 Eridani b, whose age is about 20 million years (it is extremely small by astronomical standards). Exoplanet in mass greater than Jupiter twice and generally resembles him "in his youth."

Source: http://naked-science.ru/article/sci/luchshee-v-istorii-foto-chuzho