an0nym0us

This distant world is giant (about eight times the mass of Jupiter) and lies far out from its star (about 330 times the Earth-Sun distance). But for all the planet's strangeness, its star is quite like our own sun.

Previously, the only photographed extrasolar planets have belonged to tiny, dim stars known as brown dwarfs. And while hundreds of exoplanets have been detected by noting their gravitational tug on their parent stars, it is rare to find one large enough to image directly.

"This is the first time we have directly seen a planetary mass object in a likely orbit around a star like our sun," said David Lafreni�re, an astronomer at the University of Toronto who led the team that discovered the star. "If we confirm that this object is indeed gravitationally tied to the star, it will be a major step forward."

Further study will be needed to prove that the planet is in fact orbiting around the star, as opposed to the possibility, however unlikely, that the two objects just happen to lie in the same area of the sky at roughly the same distance from us.

"Of course it would be premature to say that the object is definitely orbiting this star, but the evidence is extremely compelling," Lafreni�re said. "This will be a very intensely studied object for the next few years!"

The researchers used the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii to glimpse the planet and its star, 1RXS J160929.1-210524, which lies about 500 light-years from Earth. Though the star has about 85 percent the mass of the sun, it is younger than our star. In order to image the far-flung system, the team utilized adaptive optics technology, which uses flexible mirrors to offset the distortion light suffers as it passes through Earth's atmosphere.

The strange planet so far from its parent star is unexpected based on current theories of star and planet formation. For comparison, the farthest planet in our solar system, Neptune, lies only 30 times the Earth-sun distance away from the sun.

"This discovery is yet another reminder of the truly remarkable diversity of worlds out there, and it's a strong hint that nature may have more than one mechanism for producing planetary mass companions to normal stars," said team member Ray Jayawardhana, also of the University of Toronto.

The distant exoplanet, at about 1,800 Kelvin (about 1,500�C), is also much hotter than our own Jupiter, which has a temperature of about 160 Kelvin (-110�C).

The team discovered the new planet as part a survey of more than 85 stars in the Upper Scorpius association, a group of young stars formed about 5 million years ago. The researchers have detailed the study in a paper submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters and also posted online.

"This discovery certainly has us looking forward to what other surprises nature has in stock for us," said University of Toronto team member Marten van Kerkwijk.

Dupe of USSJed

I don't get it, whats the significence of this finding?

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Ivan

They're just scientists. If they aren't working on inventing something useful they're trying to discover something that doesn't really impact us until something else is invented.

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an0nym0us

Discovery of life in another planet.

LegendaryBroli

I stopped caring about scientists once they said pluto wasn't a planet. If it's not a planet why is it going around the sun?

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Ivan

Because it's in the sun's gravitational pull. The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter also orbits our sun, y'know?

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LegendaryBroli

Still for hundreds of years it was considered a planet what did they go "Well since its just a block of ice its not a planet?" I mean look at some of the other planets they have no life on them we still consider them planets.

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an0nym0us

It's a study, I think in the far or near future, this study will benefit mankind.

Wild-Roze

Thats pretty cool IMO I dont see how people cant care about science. The Universe is awesome, and the human race is exceedingly arrogant and stupid to presume that it is the only living thing in the universe. How astronomically unlikely is that?! we are a spec in our solar system, which is a spec in our galaxy, which is a spec in the universe. How can you NOT be fascinated with other stars ad planets and what may be out there?

*claps for a good thread among so many idiotic ones*

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Inu

They don`t even know if it is orbiting this star yet, and the temperatures are extremely volatile... life could be there but we`re nowhere near confirming this.

And yes, it would be foolish to suggest we are the only intelligent life in the universe. Unless there`s Mass Effect-esque AI ships that destroy life in cycles.