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Credit & Copyright: J.-L. Beuzit et al. (Grenoble Obs.),
ESO
Explanation:
In the early 1980s,
Beta Pictoris became one of the
most important stars in the sky.
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.
But evidence continues to mount that this star indeed has comet-like
bodies in the disk and a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting within
the central zone.
Shown here in false color,
this recent, highly detailed picture
was obtained at the European Southern Observatory by blocking
the overwhelming direct starlight and imaging the
near-infrared light from the disk.
The disk's warped bright inner region is indirect
evidence for an orbiting planet.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: planet - disk
Publications with words: planet - disk
See also: