Have astronomers found the first moon outside our solar system?

This illustration provided by Dan Durda shows the exoplanet Kepler-1625b with a hypothetical moon. (Source: AP)

Two Columbia University researchers, Alex Teachey and David Kipping, may have found the first moon outside our solar system, potentially the size of Neptune or Uranus, AP reported. The so-called exomoon is considerably larger than the largest moon in our solar system. The moon of Jupiter, Ganymede, has a diameter of about 5 270 km. The exomoon is estimated to be about 49,000 km (30,600 miles) in diameter.

According to a Reuters report, the newly discovered exomoon and the planet on which it gravitates are both gaseous and located 8,000 light-years from Earth.

The team behind this intriguing discovery evaluated more than 250 planets outside our solar system, discovered by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope. Of these, only one planet has shown signs of hosting a moon, one around the star known as Kepler-1625.

Columbia astronomers directed the Hubble Space Telescope in October to check or exclude their discoveries. As they were on the lookout for a second temporary dimming of the starlight, the team made a 40-hour observation on the Hubble Space Telescope to deepen its research. The first drop in brightness would be crossing the planet in front of its star, while the second could possibly justify their extraordinary claim of exomoon outside our solar system.

The powerful Hubble telescope detected the second decrease in starlight three-and-a-half hours after the first dip. However, the period of observation was over before the moon could complete its transit. Another convincing evidence in favor of their apparent discovery is that the planet passed its star an hour earlier than expected.

Despite the evidence, Teachey and his colleague Kipping need a fresh look at Hubble, which will only happen in May 2019. In the meantime, they are encouraging other researchers and astronomers to join us, because the subject offers a glimpse of the rarity of our solar system.

"The first exomoon is obviously an extraordinary demand and requires extraordinary evidence," Teachey told AP. "In addition, the size we calculated for this moon, about the size of Neptune, was hardly anticipated and so is a reason to pay attention here," he said. he adds.

Our own solar system is nearly 200 moons long. Of the eight planets, only Mercury and Venus have none.

Given the conditions in which the planet and its lunar potential are gaseous giants, we can not say that this planet can support life. "But in the future, I think we're opening the door to discovering worlds like this," Teachey told AP.

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The results were published in the journal Science Advances.

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