New ExtraSolar Planet SEEN by Hubble

[BenTheMan]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/13/AR2008111302267.html?hpid=topnews

Cool stuff...

[BenTheMan]

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/289899main_fomalhaut_actual_HI.jpg

[BenTheMan]

Sorry for the HUGE pic.

[iceaura]

Sorry for the HUGE pic No problem. Any time.

[BenTheMan]

So what you're looking at, I think, is the dust cloud surrounding the star, with the star light subtracted out.

[BenTheMan]

Here's a better pic, from BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7725584.stm

[Mr. Hamtastic]

I'm pretty open-minded, but when evidence is the difference of a dot to a few pixels to another dot in a sea of dots, I remain unconvinced.

Interesting stuff, though.

[Mr. Hamtastic]

6 pixel change in 2 years? Is that what it is suggesting? Mighty slow orbit of something mighty big, then, huh?

[BenTheMan]

I'm pretty open-minded, but when evidence is the difference of a dot to a few pixels to another dot in a sea of dots, I remain unconvinced.

Interesting stuff, though.

You have to remember, that the image is something that was made for a press release. We don't do science by looking at polaroids :) Well, ok, maybe some people do. The important thing to remember is signal to noise ratio, and statistics. If you understand the background REALLY well, and you have a TON of statistics, then you can accurately subtract it out, and even a little bump (like what you see above) becomes significant.

[BenTheMan]

I can't believe no one is interested in this.

sigh.

[kaneda]

I hope the next generation space telescope is as good as expected as we could suddenly start seeing thousands of such planets. Are they including some hardware/software to block out star glow?

[phlogistician]

I can't believe no one is interested in this.

sigh.

Hey, it's quiet at the weekends.

I personally find it fascinating. Can't wait to find out what the spectra of the light looks like, to clue us in to composition.

[Tristan]

It's pretty fricken awesome. I have done a share of astronomical research, concerned with pulsational modes in Sub-Dwarf B stars...

In that research, we look for changes of a 1/1000th of a magnitude from ground base telescopes. You use stars in the same field of view to subtract out the wobble of the atmosphere...

Bottom line, with a space based telescope and advanced processing techniques, its easy to understand how we were finally able to get a good glimpse of a planet outside our solar system!

And to think, only 10 years ago this was thought of so far in the future! and 20 years ago, thought of impossible!

T

[EntropyAlwaysWins]

Only just found this thread now....

I think this is a very interesting find, hopefully lots more will follow and at higher resolutions.