Astronomers Capture First Images of an Exoplanet Orbiting Its Star
Exoplanet In Orbit This composite image shows a huge planet orbiting a nearby star, Beta Pictoris. The pale dots inside the dark disc are pictures of the planet in 2003 and 2009. ESO For the first time, astronomers have been able to follow the path of an exoplanet as it orbits its star, a breakthrough for planet-hunters and anyone interested in how planets are made. The image above is a composite of images from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, showing a planet orbiting the nearby star Beta Pictoris. The dark circle in the center is from a piece of metal that blocks Beta Pictoris' bright light, allowing observations of the fuzzy planetary disc around it. Look inside the dark circle. The pale dot on the left is the planet in 2003; the dot on the right is the planet in late 2009. The small line connecting the dots represents the planet's...