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First Image of Extrasolar Planet Confirmed

Posted by timothy on from the congratulations-it's-a-planet dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The year-long controversy about whether the European Southern Observatory had indeed captured the first picture of an extrasolar planet has apparently been resolved. Journal publication today of a fuzzy image of this Jupiter-sized, extrasolar planet led Christophe Dumas, a member of the discovery team, to say enthusiastically: 'The thrill of seeing this faint source of light in real-time on the instrument display was unbelievable. Although it is surely much bigger than a terrestrial-size object, it is a strange feeling that it may indeed be the first planetary system beyond our own ever imaged.'"

10 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. "Small" correction by Space+cowboy · · Score: 5, Interesting


    It's actually (according to the BBC and eso.org) 5x the size of Jupiter, or about half the size of our sun. Calling it a mere planet may be a bit harsh - Jupiter itself is a net producer of energy (radiated = 2x incident, roughly), and it's speculated that this is due to gravity forces. This gas-giant 'planet' is presumably more active gravitationally - perhaps 'proto-sun' or 'failed sun' might be a better description (except that discovering a planet is a far greater acheivement than a tiny star...

    Simon.

    --
    Physicists get Hadrons!
    1. Re:"Small" correction by LiquidRaptor · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You know I've often wondered about why these big planets are failed suns. I seem to remeber hearing somewhere that anything much bigger than jupiter would collapse in on itself due to gravitation. I wonder if theres not some form of fusion going on in the core that exerts an outward pressure on these big planets.

    2. Re:"Small" correction by peculiarmethod · · Score: 4, Interesting

      while thats a great idea, and I do not profess to have an answer, I would like to remind you that fusion would not be the easiest solution. I would recommend looking into the specific densities of the materials making up the massive object.. perhaps on average lighter materials (from young stars) were used in creation of these objects. Perhaps the object was formed from two larger object on similiar paths (created near each other, falling into each other later in the development game. Again, I am not sure, but it seems correct in experience to look for the easiest possible solution, and test those first. I dunno.

      --
      ** "It's not my job to stand between the people talking to me, and the ones listening to me." -- Pego the Jerk
    3. Re:"Small" correction by at_18 · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's actually (according to the BBC and eso.org) 5x the size of Jupiter, or about half the size of our sun

      Remember that when astronomers talk about "size", they are actually talking about mass. Our sun is 1000x the mass of Jupiter, so this planet is still 200x smaller.

      The minimum mass to call a big planet a "star" is about 70 times Jupiter (that's the minimum mass to start nuclear fusion).

    4. Re:"Small" correction by Rakshasa+Taisab · · Score: 4, Informative

      Wrong, this planet is *not* 5x the size of Jupiter. It has a *mass* 5x that of Jupiter. Due to gravity etc no planet can grow much beyond the size of Jupiter. Don't remember the exact size but it was some 10-30% larger that was the limit.

      --
      - These characters were randomly selected.
    5. Re:"Small" correction by Scott+Ransom · · Score: 4, Informative

      Note: IAAA

      The reason why they are called failed suns is because they are. Gravity pulls the matter in towards the center of the planet. This makes the center hot and dense (think ideal gas law). If there is enough mass in the planet, the gravitational attraction is strong enough that it forces the pressure and temperature at the planets core to exceed the thresholds required for nuclear fusion (hydrogen to hydrogen) to occur. If the body is massive enough to do this it is a bona-fide star. Stars slightly less massive are known as brown dwarfs (there are technical reasons why they are not called planets), and bodies even less massive are planets.

      Jupiter is giving off heat because the gravitational attraction is causing the temperature and pressure inside the star to be relatively high -- just not high enough for fusion.

  2. What's interesting about this... by Future+Man+3000 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Is that the planet is something like five times as large as Jupiter, which defies all known data about planetary formation.

    That, and it's orbiting a brown dwarf.

    --

    I never vote for anyone. I always vote against.
    -- W.C. Fields

    1. Re:What's interesting about this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      "That, and it's orbiting a brown dwarf."

      Excuse me, but the politically correct term is Ethnic Little Person. Mmkay?

  3. Can't believe this hasn't been said yet. by isny · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's not a planet...
    It's a space station

  4. No funny making by BigBuckHunter · · Score: 4, Funny

    Holy Crap!

    A planet discovered by a scientist named "Dumass" and not a single +5 funny yet?

    BBH