Exoplanets imaged directly for the first time

[Touring Mars]

Two separate studies published in this week's Science journal reveal the first direct images of planets orbiting other stars... Exoplanets have been known to exist for a while, and many hundreds have been discovered by indirect methods, but now with advances in optics and technology, it is now possible to see them directly...

BBC Article... Science Article...

This advance will now allow much more detailed analyses to take place on the exoplanets, perhaps soon to reveal what they are made of, what their atmospheres are like etc. etc.

 

[TheCracker]

Between 3 and 10 times the size of Jupiter? - those are some big old planets they've found!

 

[Sureboss]

Apparently they couldn't find them if they were much smaller than that, would need a different method. Something to do with Gravitational lensing...

 

[Sage]

I like how once you start imaging over massive scales, it starts to look like imaging on micro/nano scales.

 

[Solid Lifters]

I like how once you start imaging over massive scales, it starts to look like imaging on micro/nano scales.

Fractal Geometry is awesome stuff, ain't it?

 

[Sureboss]

What's the orange scattering? That light from the planets star?

 

[TheCracker]

What's the orange scattering? That light from the planets star?

The Eye of Sauron!

 

[Omnis]

The Eye of Sauron!

Looks like Alderaan after the Empire came to visit.

 

[Solid Lifters]

I thought it looked like a BB hole in a window.

 

[Vaxen]

APOD gives a great summary of this, with a nice annotated diagram:

 

[Steeda]

A little off topic, but anyone heard of Canis Majoris? Thats what i call big.

 

[Wolfe]

I like how once you start imaging over massive scales, it starts to look like imaging on micro/nano scales.

Er...wouldn't that just be because you're magnifying the image in both cases? I understand the sentiment, but after thinking about it, it isn't really so special.

Not that this discovery itself isn't special. It's historic. 👍

 

[PeterJB]

Are those Moons around it? Exomoons!

 

[Famine]

Big thing - star. Three little things - planets.

 

[SolidSnake15]

This gets us that much closer to discovering intelligent life outside of our planet.

 

[Touring Mars]

Are those Moons around it? Exomoons!

Those are the planets But remember this - these planets are each much bigger than Jupiter, the biggest planet in our Solar System, which has some 62 moons. Saturn has 60 moons, too. So although we can't see any, the chances are that these giant planets could have a huge amount of "exomoons".

Gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn are unlikely to be able to support life themselves, but Saturn and Jupiter both have atleast one moon each that could support life - in other words, exomoons would be as good a place to look for life as anywhere!

That said, it might be a while until astronomers are able to see smaller, Earth-like "rocky" planets, let alone their moons, but I have no doubt that it will become possible in the not-too-distant future...

This gets us that much closer to discovering intelligent life outside of our planet.

Definitely 👍 Although I am more excited by the prospect that we will soon be able to see exactly how planets form (as more and more exoplanets are directly imaged), and hence learn more about how our own planet formed... (and hence answer a significant part of the question of how life comes to exist at all!)

 

[Metar]

I think it's discriminating to call them exoplanets just because they're not revolving around our sun. A new-age Copernicus has to come along and set this right!


But yeah, a very important historic advance for mankind. No idea what we're going to do with studied planets billions of years of travel away, but it's always good for the bragging-rights.

 

[Keef]

Between 3 and 10 times the size of Jupiter? - those are some big old planets they've found!

Apparently a planet will combust into a star when it's about 50 times more massive than Jupiter. Wiki says that if Jupiter was the same size but about 4 times as massive as it is now, it could actually shrink in size. The increase in gravity would go up so much that the interior could become solid and it would pull the outer gases closer to the surface. So for these things to be 10 times the size of Jupiter...somebody must be wrong. Either that or they've got so little mass that the gravity can just barely hold those outermost gases in a round shape.

 

[SolidSnake15]

Could they just be really big rocks? Is it possible to have a solid planet bigger than Jupiter?

 

[Famine]

Apparently a planet will combust into a star when it's about 50 times more massive than Jupiter. Wiki says that if Jupiter was the same size but about 4 times as massive as it is now, it could actually shrink in size. The increase in gravity would go up so much that the interior could become solid and it would pull the outer gases closer to the surface. So for these things to be 10 times the size of Jupiter...somebody must be wrong. Either that or they've got so little mass that the gravity can just barely hold those outermost gases in a round shape.

Umm... no?

In any case, Jupiter's core is solid - metallic hydrogen. Probably.

 

[Sureboss]

This gets us that much closer to discovering intelligent life outside of our planet.

Because we sure as hell can't find any here!

 

[Stevisiov]

Because we sure as hell can't find any here!

Blatant rip off of Monty...

 

[SolidSnake15]

Because we sure as hell can't find any here!

The sad part is it's true. Scientists should try to send a robot out there like they're doing with Pluto. Maybe they will find something interesting.