From Earth in the constellation.4 63. The light-year-based painter is a young and bright blue star, Beta Pictoris. In 2008, observations made by the ESO’s Parallel Observatory in Chile confirmed the presence of an extrasolar planet. The planet was Beta Pictoris B, a super-Jupiter whose orbital period was between 6890 and 8890 days (~ 19 to 24 years) which was confirmed by direct imaging passing behind the star.
In August 2019, another planet was discovered (another super-Jupiter) orbiting near Beta Pictoris. However, due to the proximity of its parent star, it can only be studied by indirect means (radial velocity measurement). After re-analyzing the data obtained by VLT, the astronomers were able to confirm the existence of Beta Pictoris C by direct imaging with Gravity Collaboration.
Researchers responsible for the research detailed their findings in two studies published in their October 2nd issue. Astronomy and Astrophysics. The first was led by Matthias Nauk of the Cavalli Institute for Cosmology (University of Cambridge), while the second was led by Laboratory Space in Space Studies and Instrumentation (LESIA) and the Paris Observatory in Astrophysics.
As he explains in his first study, to conduct the first direct observations of BL Pictoris C through the Gravity Collaboration, VLT. No. The light from four large telescopes connected. This is not the first time that a planet has appeared directly in images close to its parent star, it is the first time that direct imaging has been used to confirm an investigation using the radial velocity (aka Doppler spectroscopy) method.
For decades, astronomers relied on radial velocity measurements to detect the presence of exoplanets. With hundreds of candidates discovered to date, it is the second most popular method (after the transit method) and is often combined with transport to confirm the existence of exoplanets. However, candidates using the radial velocity method have never before been confirmed by direct observation.
This was made possible only by the Gravity Instrument, a second generation device that is part of VLT’s Interferometer (VLTI). These instruments combine light with four VLT telescopes – either four unit telescopes or four auxiliary telescopes, each assisted by adaptive optics (AO) – and then combine them into a virtual telescope, allowing for unprecedented detail and sensitivity.
As Frank Eisenhower, a leading scientist on the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) ‘s Gravity Project, said in a recent statement:
“It’s amazing what level of detail and sensitivity we can achieve with Gravity. We have just begun to explore the wonderful new world, from the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy to the planets outside the solar system. ”
At the same time, the team was only able to observe Beta Pictoris C because the new radial velocities measured were able to accurately establish the orbital motion of the planet. This was the subject of the second paper, where they show how the combination of high-contrast imaging, long baseline interferometry and radial velocity data allowed them to accurately predict the state of beta pictoris B so that gravity could detect it.
Their observations allowed them to further restrict the orbit and physical properties of Beta Pictoris B. And Also predict the approaches of C and both planets. Still, this turned out to be confusing to the Gravity team. Beta Pictoris C is 8 times as large as Jupiter and is about 2.7 AU away from the star – the same distance from the Sun as the main asteroid belt.
And yet, C is six times more obscure than Beta Pictoris B, which orbits its star at a distance of 8.8 AU, equal to the distance between Saturn and the Sun. This raises the question of how big and wide it should be for it to reflect six times as much light. At the moment, collective estimates for B are limited to between 10 and 11 Jupiter people.
But as they suggest, future observations using the radial velocity method will be able to answer this question. The only problem is that it will take many years, as Beta Pictoris B takes about 28 years to complete one orbit around its star. Additional data may also be provided by Gravity +, a next-generation tool that is currently under development.
As Paul Moliere, MPIA’s postdock who models the Explanate Spectra:
“We first used Gravity to get the spectra of other straight images of explanites, in which they already gave hints on their formation process. This bright measure of Beta Pictoris C, together with its mass, is an important step in stopping the models of our planet’s formation. ”
The team’s results also allowed them to prevent the presence of additional planets in the beta picture system. Thanks to combined measurements and data, they are able to exclude the presence of planets more than 2.5 times larger than the star’s 3 AU Jupiter; Planets J and to.5. AU AU has more Jupiter than J. J, and .5. There are more Jupiter planets than AU.
But perhaps the most impressive solution to this research is how astronomers can now combine the greatest wealth of direct and indirect methods for explanate study. As they explained in the first study, direct search planets are more sensitive to orbits at large distances from their host star while indirect methods are more sensitive to planets with shorter orbital periods.
According to Navak, this opens the way for new studies that could create a direct picture of orbiting planets, where potentially habitable and “Earth-like” (rocky) planets are commonly found. “This means that we can now get both the brightness and the mass of this explanation.” “As a general rule, the wider the planet, the brighter it is.”
One of the most anticipated developments for exoplanet studies in the near future is the way in which next-generation telescopes and instruments allow for direct imaging studies of tightly bound rocky planets. This will ultimately allow astronomers to derive spectra from many potentially habitable world atmospheres found over the past few decades.
By evaluating the composition of the atmosphere of these planets, we will finally be able to say with certainty that life from them is capable of supporting life as we know it.
Further reading: MPI, Astronomy and Astrophysics, A and a
