Esta imagen de descubrimiento de un planeta extrasolar del tamaño de Júpiter que orbita la cercana Star 51 Eridani fue tomada en luz casi infrarroja en 2014 por el planeta Gemini Imager. La estrella central brillante está oculta detrás de una máscara en el centro de la imagen para permitir la detección del exoplaneto, que es 1 millón de veces más débil que 51 Eridani. El Exoplanet está en las afueras del sistema planetario a 11 mil millones de millas de su estrella. Su distancia es equivalente a una ubicación entre las órbitas de Neptuno y Saturno en nuestro sistema solar. El sistema 51 Eridani está a 96 años luz de la Tierra.
Webb sondeará la atmósfera del planeta en longitudes de onda infrarroja que los astrónomos rara vez han usado para imágenes de mundos distantes. Webb también buscará otros mundos distantes, posiblemente hasta el tamaño de Saturno, en las afueras de los sistemas planetarios que no se pueden detectar con telescopios terrestres. Herzberg)
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | 51 Eridani b |
| Object Description | Exoplanet |
| R.A. Position | 04 37 36.13 |
| Dec. Position | -02 28 24.79 |
| Distance | Exoplanet is approximately 96 light-years away |
| About The Data | |
| Instrument | Gemini>Gemini Planet Imager |
| Exposure Dates | 18 December 2014 |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
