See the exoplanets dance!
March 29th, 2025 at 11:04 pm (Astronomy, Planets)
Exoplanets are generally discovered in indirect ways, by the slight wobble they impart to their host star, or by passing in front of the star and briefly dimming its light.
But here we have a glorious compilation of seven images taken from Earth over seven years, in which four exoplanets are directly imaged!
These planets are all orbiting a star named HR 8799, in the constellation Pegasus. The images were collected by the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The source images were used to infer and interpolate the planets’ orbits. (This planetary system seems to be nearly perpendicular to us. Not all of them are, naturally.) Magical to watch.