Well, it's confirmed. An actual photograph of a planet other than one
from our solar system. I'm outta here... <Moderate Mammal starts
packing..>

Anyway, there are of course photos at the link below.

BTW, I curious in that it seems the evidence is pointing to the fact
of large gaseous giants and smaller inner planets to be the natural
hierarchy designed by Mother Nature. Perhaps this along with a 'moon'
is fundamental to life bearing worlds?

--
Keith

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/aas_exoplanet_050110.html


Astronomers Confident: Planet Beyond Solar System Has Been
Photographed
By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 10 January 2005
04:32 pm ET


SAN DIEGO -- Astronomers are highly confident that they've taken the
first photograph of a planet outside our solar system.

Make that two photographs.

A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope confirms with a high
degree of confidence a picture made previously by astronomers at the
European Southern Observatory (ESO) and reported by SPACE.com in
September.

The planet -- still just a candidate, actually -- is an odd duck in
many respects. It does not orbit a normal star, and it is much more
massive than the largest planets in our solar system.

Still, if confirmed, it represents a landmark in astronomy along the
road to the ultimate goal of finding and photographing Earth-like
planets around other stars.

The Hubble image was released here today at a meeting of the American
Astronomical Society.

The planet candidate appears to orbit a failed star known as a brown
dwarf. The initial observations at ESO's Very Large Telescope could
not determine whether the apparent planet was actually at the same
distance as the brown dwarf or if it was a background object. The
Hubble observations show that the two indeed appear to be travelling
together through the sky, suggesting they are gravitationally bound,
as originally suspected.

University of Arizona astronomer Glenn Schneider, who led the new
study, said he's 99.1 percent sure the object is in orbit around the
brown dwarf. He expects to be 99.9 percent sure in April when more
Hubble observations are made as the planet presumably moves a bit
farther along in its orbit.

"Stay tuned for the final confirmation, but it's looking pretty good,"
Schneider said.

The planet candidate is about 1.5 times the diameter of Jupiter and
about five times as massive. It orbits the brown dwarf star at about
30 percent farther than Pluto is from our Sun. The brown dwarf does
not have enough mass to trigger thermonuclear fusion and shine like a
normal star, but it is also outside the realm of planethood, being
some 25 times more massive than Jupiter and glowing with infrared
light.

The setup is about 225 light-years away.

"This is the first image of a planet outside our solar system," said
UCLA astronomer Eric Becklin, quickly correcting himself to say it was
an image most likely to be of an extrasolar planet. "So we really need
to be sure."

Becklin and others eagerly await the April observations.

If confirmed, the finding would have "enormous impact" on the ability
of astronomers to get funding for future telescopes that would look
for Earth-like planets, said Steve Maran, press officer of the
American Astronomical Society.

And what to make of a planet orbiting a failed star? Astronomers are
already debating what constitutes a planet and whether the definition
should include how they formed versus what they orbit.

Becklin, who was not involved in the imaging, said there is evidence
for planets orbiting planets and planets floating alone in space with
no star. If the latest image is proved to be what it seems, that would
suggest "planets are around a lot of things," he said.


_____

"Cosmic upheaval is not so moving as a little child pondering the death
of a sparrow in the corner of a barn." -Anouk Aimee, French Actor
_____

"Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny", Aeschylus (525BC-456BC),
Agamemnon
_____

"I wear no Burka." - Mother Nature

----------
To send mail: remove hutch

Well, it's confirmed. An actual photograph of a planet other than one
from our solar system. I'm outta here... <Moderate Mammal starts
packing..>

Anyway, there are of course photos at the link below.

BTW, I curious in that it seems the evidence is pointing to the fact
of large gaseous giants and smaller inner planets to be the natural
hierarchy designed by Mother Nature. Perhaps this along with a 'moon'
is fundamental to life bearing worlds?

BTW, I curious in that it seems the evidence is pointing to the fact
of large gaseous giants and smaller inner planets to be the natural
hierarchy designed by Mother Nature.

Well, it's confirmed. An actual photograph of a planet other than

from our solar system. I'm outta here... <Moderate Mammal starts
packing..>

Anyway, there are of course photos at the link below.

BTW, I curious in that it seems the evidence is pointing to the fact
of large gaseous giants and smaller inner planets to be the natural
hierarchy designed by Mother Nature. Perhaps this along with a

is fundamental to life bearing worlds?

Well, it's confirmed. An actual photograph of a planet other than

from our solar system. I'm outta here... <Moderate Mammal starts
packing..>

Anyway, there are of course photos at the link below.

BTW, I curious in that it seems the evidence is pointing to the fact
of large gaseous giants and smaller inner planets to be the natural
hierarchy designed by Mother Nature. Perhaps this along with a

is fundamental to life bearing worlds?

Well, it's confirmed. An actual photograph of a planet other than one
from our solar system. I'm outta here... <Moderate Mammal starts
packing..>

Anyway, there are of course photos at the link below.

BTW, I curious in that it seems the evidence is pointing to the fact
of large gaseous giants and smaller inner planets to be the natural
hierarchy designed by Mother Nature. Perhaps this along with a 'moon'
is fundamental to life bearing worlds?

--
Keith

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/aas_exoplanet_050110.html


Astronomers Confident: Planet Beyond Solar System Has Been
Photographed
By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 10 January 2005
04:32 pm ET


SAN DIEGO -- Astronomers are highly confident that they've taken the
first photograph of a planet outside our solar system.

Make that two photographs.

A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope confirms with a high
degree of confidence a picture made previously by astronomers at the
European Southern Observatory (ESO) and reported by SPACE.com in
September.

The planet -- still just a candidate, actually -- is an odd duck in
many respects. It does not orbit a normal star, and it is much more
massive than the largest planets in our solar system.

Still, if confirmed, it represents a landmark in astronomy along the
road to the ultimate goal of finding and photographing Earth-like
planets around other stars.

The Hubble image was released here today at a meeting of the American
Astronomical Society.

The planet candidate appears to orbit a failed star known as a brown
dwarf. The initial observations at ESO's Very Large Telescope could
not determine whether the apparent planet was actually at the same
distance as the brown dwarf or if it was a background object. The
Hubble observations show that the two indeed appear to be travelling
together through the sky, suggesting they are gravitationally bound,
as originally suspected.

University of Arizona astronomer Glenn Schneider, who led the new
study, said he's 99.1 percent sure the object is in orbit around the
brown dwarf. He expects to be 99.9 percent sure in April when more
Hubble observations are made as the planet presumably moves a bit
farther along in its orbit.

"Stay tuned for the final confirmation, but it's looking pretty good,"
Schneider said.

The planet candidate is about 1.5 times the diameter of Jupiter and
about five times as massive. It orbits the brown dwarf star at about
30 percent farther than Pluto is from our Sun. The brown dwarf does
not have enough mass to trigger thermonuclear fusion and shine like a
normal star, but it is also outside the realm of planethood, being
some 25 times more massive than Jupiter and glowing with infrared
light.

The setup is about 225 light-years away.

"This is the first image of a planet outside our solar system," said
UCLA astronomer Eric Becklin, quickly correcting himself to say it was
an image most likely to be of an extrasolar planet. "So we really need
to be sure."

Becklin and others eagerly await the April observations.

If confirmed, the finding would have "enormous impact" on the ability
of astronomers to get funding for future telescopes that would look
for Earth-like planets, said Steve Maran, press officer of the
American Astronomical Society.

And what to make of a planet orbiting a failed star? Astronomers are
already debating what constitutes a planet and whether the definition
should include how they formed versus what they orbit.

Becklin, who was not involved in the imaging, said there is evidence
for planets orbiting planets and planets floating alone in space with
no star. If the latest image is proved to be what it seems, that would
suggest "planets are around a lot of things," he said.


_____

"Cosmic upheaval is not so moving as a little child pondering the death
of a sparrow in the corner of a barn." -Anouk Aimee, French Actor
_____

"Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny", Aeschylus (525BC-456BC),
Agamemnon
_____

"I wear no Burka." - Mother Nature

----------
To send mail: remove hutch