Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Lowest Mass Exoplanet Ever Directly Imaged. Probably.

Posted by Unknown on from the hottest-vacation-spot dept.

The Bad Astronomer writes "Astronomers announced today that they have taken a direct image of the lowest mass exoplanet ever seen. HD 95086 b has a mass about 4 to 5 times that of Jupiter, and orbits a star 300 light years away that is slightly more massive and hotter than the Sun. The planet is not 100% confirmed, but it appears very likely to be real. If so, it's a hot gas giant, still cooling from its formation less than 20 million years ago. The picture, taken in the infrared, clearly shows the planet, making it one of fewer than a dozen such planets seen in actual telescopic images."

4 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. Yo mamma so fat by lxs · · Score: 5, Funny

    She can be directly imaged from 300 light years away.

    1. Re:Yo mamma so fat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      _Yo_ mamma so fat, she can only be seen by her Hawking radiation.

    2. Re:Yo mamma so fat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      _Yo_ mamma so fat, she can only be seen by her Hawking radiation.

      Well, be that as it may, at least she's trying to lose mass.

  2. Re:Why a hot gas planet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is Kepler still working?

    No, he died back in 1630