This discovery image of a Jupiter-sized extrasolar planet orbiting the nearby star 51 Eridani was taken in near-infrared light in 2014 by the Gemini Planet Imager. The bright central star is hidden behind a mask in the center of the image to enable the detection of the exoplanet, which is 1 million times fainter than 51 Eridani. The exoplanet is on the outskirts of the planetary system 11 billion miles from its star. Its distance is equivalent to a location between the orbits of Neptune and Saturn in our solar system. The 51 Eridani system is 96 light-years from Earth.
Webb will probe the planet’s atmosphere at infrared wavelengths astronomers have rarely used to image distant worlds. Webb will also hunt for other distant worlds — possibly down to Saturn-size — on the outskirts of planetary systems that cannot be detected with ground-based telescopes.
Credits
Image
Gemini Observatory, NSF's NOIRLab, NSF, AURA, Julien Rameau (University of Montreal), Christian Marois (NRC 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. |
