Faintest Planet Imaged From Earth Found After 10 Years
Astronomers have discovered a new exoplanet, Beta Pictoris d, by analyzing archival data from the European Southern Observatory. The planet is a gas giant with a wide orbit and is notable for being one of the faintest exoplanets ever imaged from Earth.
Why it matters
This discovery demonstrates the value of re-analyzing archival astronomical data and improves our understanding of planetary system formation.
A team of astronomers have discovered a third planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. The new planet, Beta Pictoris d, is 100 times fainter than Beta Pictoris b - the first planet discovered in the same system - and is among the lightest exoplanets ever to be imaged from the ground. After spotting the planet using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), the team found it had been hiding in archive observations spanning more than a decade.
The article is a factual report on a scientific discovery.
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