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Enlarge image | Exoplanet Beta Pictoris b evolves around its parent star, from December 2014 until disappearing in the eyes of the star at the end of 2016. Two years later, astronomers see it reappear on the other side of its star. Note the position of the planet in the image at the bottom right, unlike the others! Image via the ESO / Lagrange / SPHERE consortium.
The Southern European Observatory (European Southern Observatory, ESO) said on November 12, 2018 that its very large telescope had captured an unprecedented series of images showing the passage of the Beta Pictoris exoplanet around B his mother star. The images are above. They are amazing, but especially when you notice the position of the exoplanet in the image at the bottom right – that of September 2018 – unlike all those that preceded us. In other words, this planet has remained under the fire of its star for about two years. We could not see him at all then. But now, he has reappeared on the opposite side of his star, as would any respectable world moving in orbit.
We know that the worlds of space do that, but see it! It's something new.
It was not until the early 1990s that astronomers began to find planets orbiting distant suns. Now, despite the assumption that there may be a few billion planets in our only Milky Way galaxy, we have only been able to discover thousands of exoplanets. It's the challenge to find them by the glow of their stars. By their nature, the stars produce light; the planets do not do it. The planets shine only with the light reflected by their stars. Observing them by starlight was therefore a major challenge for astronomers for decades.
And that remains a challenge, though – as you can see from this amazing picture – the technologies have improved considerably.
Beta Pictoris b is a young, massive exoplanet originally discovered by direct imaging in 2008 using ESO's NACO instrument at the Very Large Telescope. Most exoplanets are discovered when they pass or pass their stars along our line of sight. But, from our terrestrial point of view, Beta Pictoris b does not quite go through, then had to be found by direct imaging. ESO said:
The same scientific team [that discovered it] since exoplanet tracking from late 2014 to late 2016, using the high-contrast exoplanet spectro-polarimetric research instrument (SPHERE), another instrument of the very large telescope.
Beta Pictoris b then passed so close to the halo of the star that no instrument could solve them. Nearly two years later, after appearing to blend in with the star's image, Beta Pictoris B has now emerged from the halo. This reappearance was again captured by SPHERE … [which] specializes in direct imaging, looking for exoplanets by taking their photographs. This extraordinarily stimulating undertaking provides us with clear images of distant worlds such as Beta Pictoris b, 63 light-years away.
Beta Pictoris orbits its star at a distance similar to that between the sun and Saturn [approximately 800 million miles or 1.3 billion kilometers]that is, it is the most orbiting exoplanet of all time. The surface of this young planet is still hot, about 1500 degrees Celsius. [2,700 degrees Fahrenheit]and the light it emits allowed SPHERE to discover it and follow its orbit, seeing it emerge from its passage in front of its parent star.
ESO has also created a video timelapse from these images, which you can see here. Enjoy!
Conclusion: an amazing new sequence of images from the SPHERE ESO instrument, showing the passage of the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b in the glow of his star and then, two years later , resurfacing.
Via ESO
The lunar calendars 2019 are here! Order yours before they leave. Makes a great gift.
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