Beta Pictoris is a star located about 60 light-years away towards the constellation of Pictor (the Painter's Easel) and is one of the best-known examples of a star surrounded by a dusty debris disc. Earlier observations showed several tell-tale signs that strongly suggested the presence of a massive planet. Observations done in 2003, 2008 and 2009, have proven the presence of a planet around Beta Pictoris, located at a distance between 8 and 15 times the Earth-Sun separation, which is about the Saturn distance from the Sun. The planet has a mass of about 9 Jupiter masses. This image was created from photographic material taken with the 1.22-metre UK Schmidt Telescope at Anglo-Australian Observatory, forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / De Martin, Davide |
Taille de l’image : | 5138 px × 6803 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |