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Faint new planet is revealed around a young star after a decade in hiding
The planet is about 100 times fainter than Beta Pictoris b and was confirmed with new Very Large Telescope data and archival James Webb Space Telescope observations.
- On Wednesday, scientists reported the discovery of Beta Pictoris d, the faintest exoplanet ever directly imaged from Earth. Two independent research teams detected the cold gas giant late last year using different telescopes.
- The discovery was serendipitous, as astronomers initially sought data on other planets in the Beta Pictoris system. Researchers confirmed the finding by analyzing archival imagery from the Very Large Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope .
- Beta Pictoris d is a gas giant with around 2.4 times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting its star every 91 years. The young planet, roughly 23 million years old, remains relatively cool at 330 degrees Celsius.
- "Systems with multiple directly imaged exoplanets are the 'holy grails' of discoveries," Ben Sutlieff, University of Edinburgh, says. The planet offers a rare look at a planetary system stabilizing after formation.
- The upcoming Extremely Large Telescope will likely reveal more low-mass planets hiding in these systems. John Monnier, University of Michigan astronomy professor, calls this discovery "just a little bit of an appetizer" for future findings.
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Astronomers discovered a third planet in the Beta Pictoris system, one of the faintest exoplanets photographed from Earth.
Astronomers Noticed a Mysterious Spot Appearing in Telescope Images. It Turned Out to Be the Faintest Exoplanet Ever Imaged From Earth
The gas giant, called Beta Pictoris d, had been hiding in plain sight for more than a decade, until two independent teams verified its existence
·United States
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Astronomers, while observing variations in a known planet in the Beta Pictoris star system, accidentally discovered the faintest exoplanet ever directly imaged. This new celestial body, named "Beta Pictoris d," has a mass approximately 2.4 times that of Jupiter and is the third planet in the same system to be directly photographed.
·Istanbul, Türkiye
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Total News Sources59
Leaning Left18Leaning Right3Center27Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 38%
C 56%
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