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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.'"

4 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. 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?