Optical Images of an Exosolar Planet 25 Light-Years from Earth
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory · Planetary Science Institute · +3 more institutions
Abstract
Fomalhaut, a bright star 7.7 parsecs (25 light-years) from Earth, harbors a belt of cold dust with a structure consistent with gravitational sculpting by an orbiting planet. Here, we present optical observations of an exoplanet candidate, Fomalhaut b. Fomalhaut b lies about 119 astronomical units (AU) from the star and 18 AU of the dust belt, matching predictions of its location. Hubble Space Telescope observations separated by 1.73 years reveal counterclockwise orbital motion. Dynamical models of the interaction between the planet and the belt indicate that the planet's mass is at most three times that of Jupiter; a higher mass would lead to gravitational disruption of the belt, matching predictions of its…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 70.44
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 22
Authors
9- PKPaul KalasCorresponding
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Planetary Science Institute, Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
- JRJames R. Graham
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Planetary Science Institute, Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
- ECEugene Chiang
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Planetary Science Institute, Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
- MPMichael P. Fitzgerald
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Planetary Science Institute, Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
- MCMark Clampin
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Planetary Science Institute, Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
Topics & keywords
- Physics
- Planet
- Exoplanet
- Astronomy
- Jupiter (rocket family)
- Astrophysics
- Brightness
- Kepler-69c