In a groundbreaking achievement, scientists have taken an actual picture of a planet in another star system using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope.
The planet, named PDS 70b, is a gas giant with a mass several times that of Jupiter, and it orbits a star located 370 light-years from Earth.
The image shows a bright spot, which is the planet itself, surrounded by a dark ring, which is caused by the planet blocking the star’s light.
This is a significant step forward in our ability to directly observe and study exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system.
The data collected from this image will help us better understand the formation and evolution of planets and planetary systems beyond our own.
According to a statement from Frank Eisenhauer, the GRAVITY project’s chief scientist at the Max Planck Institutes for Astronomy and Extraterrestrial Physics, “It is remarkable what level of detail and sensitivity we can accomplish with GRAVITY.”
From the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy to planets outside the solar system, we are only beginning to explore magnificent new worlds, he continued.
Source: amazingastronomy.thespaceacademy.org
