Beta Pictoris Revisited . ... Satellite and ground-based telescopic observations revealed the presence of a surrounding outer disk of material and an inner "clear" zone about the size of our solar system - strong evidence for the formation of planets. Beta Pictoris is 50 light years away and any orbiting planets are too small and faint to image at that distance. ... The disk's warped bright inner region is indirect evidence for an orbiting planet. ... NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...