- Researchers from the European Southern Observatory have captured the first images of a planetary system with multiple exoplanets.
- The system revolves around a star that closely resembles our sun, only younger.
- Observing these alien systems will teach scientists how systems like ours formed and evolved over time.
The technology for detecting exoplanets, planets that reside outside our own solar system, has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years. New exoplanet discoveries come at a breakneck pace, and it seems like we learn about a new planet (or several) every week. However, capturing images of those planets remains a great challenge.
Now, researchers using the Very Large Telescope at the European Southern Observatory have captured the first image of a multi-planet system revolving around a star much like our own Sun. It is a great achievement and one that could help us teach ourselves more about how planetary systems like our own shape and evolve over time.
The system is called TYC 8998-760-1 and is located approximately 300 light years from Earth. It’s a relatively short distance, all things considered, and it’s close enough that astronomers can capture images not only of the star at its center, but also of a pair of massive exoplanets orbiting it.
“Although astronomers have indirectly detected thousands of planets in our galaxy, only a small fraction of these exoplanets have been directly photographed,” said Matthew Kenworthy, co-author of the research, in a statement. “Direct observations are important in finding environments that can support life.”
The star at the heart of the system is like a young version of our own Sun, but the planets that orbit it are very far from Earth. The planets are gas giants similar to Jupiter, seen glowing in the image as the star sits in the upper left corner of the image. But although planets may be gaseous like Jupiter, they are orbiting at much more extreme distances.
A press release announcing the discovery explains:
The two gas giants orbit their host star at distances of 160 and about 320 times the distance from Earth to the Sun. This places these planets much further from their star than Jupiter or Saturn, also two gas giants, are from the Sun; they are only five and 10 times the Earth-Sun distance, respectively. The team also found that the two exoplanets are much heavier than those in our solar system, the inner planet is 14 times the mass of Jupiter and the outer planet six times.
Capturing images from other planetary systems is vital if we want to better understand ours. With just one data point, our own solar system, there are many things we can assume we know. Looking at other systems, especially in an immature state, gives us an idea of how these collections of planets appear and change over time.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in virtual reality, handheld devices, smartphones, and future technology. Most recently, Mike served as technical editor at The Daily Dot, and has appeared on USA Today, Time.com, and countless other websites and in print. His love of reporting is second only to his addiction to games.
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