Astronomers have discovered the faintest exoplanet
An international team of astronomers has discovered a new exoplanet, Beta Pictoris d, which is the faintest planet ever directly observed from Earth.
The new planet is located 63 light-years from Earth in the Beta Pictoris system. It is approximately 100 times fainter than the previously discovered planet Beta Pictoris b, making it the record-holder in this regard.
Beta Pictoris d is a gas giant with a mass of about 2.4 times that of Jupiter, while the other two known planets in this system are roughly ten times more massive than the largest planet in the Solar System.
Scientists note that the discovery was accidental. While analyzing archival observations from the past 11 years, which were conducted to study an already known planet, the researchers noticed signs of another celestial body.
After the discovery was confirmed, the Beta Pictoris system became only the second known planetary system in which more than two exoplanets have been directly observed from Earth.
Source: Space.com.
Astronomers have confirmed for the first time the presence of an atmosphere on a rocky exoplanet located in its star’s so-called habitable zone. This discovery marks an important step in the search for worlds where conditions for life could potentially exist.
