Faint new planet is found after cosmic hide-and-seek
Astronomers have discovered a faint, elusive gas giant planet orbiting the young star Beta Pictoris, marking the dimmest planet ever directly imaged from Earth. Two independent teams, one using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and another using NASA's Webb Space Telescope, made the discovery within days of each other. The planet is slightly larger than Jupiter and takes 91 years to orbit its star.
Why it matters
This discovery expands our understanding of exoplanets and planetary formation, demonstrating the capabilities of advanced telescopes in detecting previously hidden celestial bodies. It contributes to the broader field of astrophysics and the search for life beyond Earth.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have discovered a faint, elusive planet orbiting a young star after more than a decade of cosmic hide-and-seek.
In an unusual twist, two groups working independently detected the cold gas giant a few days apart late last year using different telescopes. It’s the dimmest planet ever directly imaged from Earth, scientists reported Wednesday.
A Scottish and German-led team spied the new planet around the star Beta Pictoris using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, then dug through archives to confirm its orbit. The planet had remained hidden in the data all this time, overshadowed by its considerably brighter star and two companion planets.
“It was very much playing hide-and-seek for 11 years,” said the European Southern Observatory’s Markus Bonse, co-leader of the first team.
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