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First Image of a Planet Orbiting a Sun-Like Star

Posted by kdawson on from the cold-jupiter dept.

Several readers including houbou and DigitumDei sent links to what may be the first-ever image of a planet orbiting a sun-like star (research paper). The giant planet, the mass of 8 Jupiters, orbits its star at 330 AU, or 11 times the distance to Neptune's orbit. If the imaged object does turn out to be a planet — and it's not certain it is — then theories of planet formation may have to be adjusted. "The bulk of the material from which planets might form is significantly closer to the parent star... The outermost parts of such disks wouldn't contain enough material to assemble a Jupiter-mass planet at the distance from the star... at which the Toronto team found the faint object."

13 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. ARGH! by Tumbleweed · · Score: 5, Funny

    Damn you, Google Star View! There IS such a thing as privacy, you know!

    1. Re:ARGH! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Google has no problem with protecting a star's privacy as long as they file out a request. Google has already sent out a message discussing their privacy policy. Considering that this star is 472 light years away, Google might have to update their system in about 944 years.

    2. Re:ARGH! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Just in case the article will be slashdotted, here's the image:
      Planet ----> . O <---- Star

  2. Where's the orbit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...and yet where's the second pic to prove that it orbits?

  3. Don't worry, we won't have to revise any theories by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    The Toronto people are just confused as to why the planet isn't orbiting around them.

  4. Low-bandwidth version in case of slashdotting by PeeAitchPee · · Score: 5, Funny

    O .

  5. we'd better hope... by commodoresloat · · Score: 3, Funny

    If the imaged object does turn out to be a planet â" and it's not certain it is â" then theories of planet formation may have to be adjusted.

    Whereas if this thing that is bigger than 8 Jupiters turns out to be something other than a planet, we may have some other theories to adjust. But I, for one, welcome our giant space traveling overlords!

  6. Re:Old news... by Timothy+Brownawell · · Score: 3, Funny

    But everyone knows that the Sun and the planets orbit the earth.

  7. All Wrong! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ridiculous! That picture is completely distorted! What paper are you looking at?

    It was a lot more like this:

    `O

    1. Re:All Wrong! by windsurfer619 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Or maybe like this?
      .
        O

  8. This star must have a high rate of rotation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    As you can see from the nearly egg-like shape as the centrifugal forces compress the equator.

    And if you observe that the planet orbits below the elliptical, you will have to agree that the planet was a rogue that was captured long after the star's formation.

    1. Re:This star must have a high rate of rotation by Ironchew · · Score: 5, Funny

      The star was spinning so fast that we all heard a "whoooooosh" through the vast expanse of space.

  9. Not a planet at all. by lowy · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you look closely you can clearly see that it's just the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) in "outer orbit" doing a routing scientific study. Nothing to see here, move along.