Existence of Exoplanet Confirmed |
|
Written by spacetravel.org
|
|
Tuesday, 19 July 2005 21:46 |
|
A year ago, the European Southern Observatorys Very Large Telescope obtained the first probable direct image of an exoplanet, 2M1207b. This image has now been confirmed to be a planet, rather than a faint brown dwarf. The spectra of this object reveal the presence of water. Its mass is less than five times that of Jupiter. The exoplanet is the companion of a brown dwarf 230 light-years away in Hydra.
|