Planets Circling Other Stars Photographed

"Astronomers capture first images of new planets"
CNN (November 13, 2008)

• "(CNN) -- The first-ever pictures of planets outside our solar system were released today in two studies.
  Artist's conception of the multiple planet system as captured by the Gemini Observatory on Hawaii.
• "Using the latest techniques in space technology, astronomers at NASA and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory used direct-imaging techniques to capture pictures of four newly discovered planets orbiting stars outside our solar system...."

"Major Breakthrough: First Photos of Planets Around Other Stars"
Space.com (November 13, 2008)

• "Astronomers have taken what they say are the first-ever direct images of planets outside of our solar system, including a visible-light snapshot of a single-planet system and an infrared picture of a multiple-planet system.
• "Earth-like worlds might also exist in the three-planet system, but if so they are too dim to photograph. The other newfound planet orbits a star called Fomalhaut, which is visible without the aid of a telescope. It is the 18th brightest star in the sky...."

Photos have been taken of objects orbiting other stars before, but they might have been really small, cool, stars: not really big planets.

Odds are, these things actually are planets.

These are exciting times that we live in.

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Related posts, at

• "A Serious Search for Other Worlds, Life, and - Maybe - Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence"