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First Image Of Planet-Like Body Orbiting A Star

Posted by timothy on from the won't-be-the-last dept.

deglr6328 writes "The Gemini North Telescope has, for the first time, directly imaged a planet like body orbiting a star. The object is a brown dwarf, 55 to 78 times the mass of planet Jupiter and 14 AU distant from its parent star 15 Sge. It was imaged using adaptive optics(see also here) that correct for the blurring effect of the atmosphere using deformable mirrors. Cool!"

12 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Hmmm.... by cporter · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that a Starbuck's I can see on the high-res JPEG?

  2. Planet-like bodies by 6EQUJ5 · · Score: 4, Funny


    I say we name it "Rosie" or "Oprah"....

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    1. Re:Planet-like bodies by halo8 · · Score: 4, Funny

      well it is a brown dwarf.. wouldnt "Gary Coleman" be more apropriate?

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      The More Knowledge you have the Luckier you Get- J.R. Ewing
  3. They say... by BrianGa · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, they say that some 75% of the internet's bandwidth revolves around heavenly bodies.

  4. Fuzzy little 'planet' by Nick+Smith · · Score: 4, Funny

    Are they absolutely sure someone didn't sneeze on the lens?

    Nick

    1. Re:Fuzzy little 'planet' by AnimeFreak · · Score: 3, Funny

      Oh no... that is just the chocolate pudding. I think that dot is a earing or something, possibly a sprinkle from Bob's donut.

  5. Distance between Uranus and the sun by Ydna · · Score: 2, Funny
    The distance between the substellar object known as brown dwarf and its parent star is less than that between the planet Uranus and the sun.
    Wait a minute, I thought the brown dwarf was 14 AU from its star, not 1 AU. Oh, I see. Sorry for the confusion.
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    "The great thing about multitasking is that several things can go wrong at once." -me

  6. Now here's what's funny ... by dmarcov · · Score: 3, Funny

    I had a high school physics teacher that was a bit of a bible thumper (no offense to any thumpers out there) who insisted that we would /never/ find planets (or planet like objects)in other solar systems. It was impossible, because . Something about proof denying faith, and without faith God being nothing ... oh wait -- that was someone else.

    I'd love to talk with him now ...

  7. Re:I've gone colour-blind! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can't believe that scientists are still using terms like "brown dwarf". Am I the only one that forsees a protest by african american and vertically-challenged groups? :)

  8. Please Oh Please... by Nathdot · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...Won't someone go to the effort of making a pun involving the words "brown dwarf" and "uranus"!

    I am almost certain it can be done. Someone out there must have the technology.

    :)

  9. So... by Simon+Garlick · · Score: 4, Funny

    They're admitting that it's all done with mirrors?

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  10. Be polite - be politically correct! by Hektor_Troy · · Score: 4, Funny

    African Extraterrestrial Vertically Challanged Star

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    We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.