Direct image of an exoplanet 63 light years away

Scientists learn about most exoplanets by indirect signs: for example, by the influence they have on their star. An international team of astronomers managed to get a direct image of the second exoplanet, located 63 light years away, near the star Beta Painter.

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Articles published at magazine Аstronomy & Astrophysics… The planets influence their star, as a result of which it fluctuates, and its light characteristics also change. The larger the planet, the more powerful it has. An international team of scientists led by Matthias Novak from the University of Cambridge (UK) studied a planet called Beta Painter c, open last year.

The exoplanet orbits the star Beta Painter, which is 63 light years from Earth. The star is very young: its age is about 23 million years, and its exoplanets are completely “babies” by cosmic standards (their age is about 18.5 million years).

In 2008, a planet was discovered near the same star – Beta Painter b, a gas giant whose mass is 9-13 times that of Jupiter. She also succeeded to photograph directly, as reported in September 2015.

A second exoplanet, Beta Pictoris c, was also estimated by scientists to be an ideal candidate for direct imaging, as astronomers are well aware parameters its fluctuations, and hence its location. Thanks to this, it was possible to make direct images of the exoplanet, as a result of which scientists learned that it is surprisingly dim, because its brightness is six times fainter than that of its brother – Beta Painter b – although their sizes are probably not very different.

By assessing the exoplanet’s brightness, the researchers were able to “measure” its temperature. According to their estimates, it is 1250 Kelvin. In addition, scientists calculated other parameters of Beta Painter c. So, its mass is about 8.2 times the mass of Jupiter, and the period of revolution around the star is 3.4 Earth years. Astronomers intend to further study both exoplanets (for example, find out the composition of their atmosphere), which opens up opportunities for obtaining new knowledge about the formation of planetary systems.

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