Planetary scientists have announced the discovery of a Jupiter-sized planet in the young star AF Leporis system.
Researchers have found the first signs of a potentialexoplanets in sky survey data from the European Space Agency's Hipparcos and Gaia space telescopes. Analyzing the movement of the star AF Leporis, located in the constellation Hare and resembling the Sun in properties, planetary scientists discovered a disturbed trajectory, which indicated the presence of a massive object nearby.
Results of direct observation of the AF Leporis star system by two different teams of astronomers. An exoplanet is a bright object to the left of a star. Image: ESO/Mesa, De Rosa et al
For further analysis, the scientists used Verya large telescope (Very Large Telescope, VLT) is a complex of four optical telescopes installed on the Cerro Paranal mountain in Chile. The special VLT instrument uses adaptive technology to eliminate the blurring associated with atmospheric turbulence and block out starlight with a mask.
The study confirmed the presence of the starexoplanets. According to estimates, its size is comparable to the size of the largest gas giant in the solar system - Jupiter, and the distance to the star is approximately equal to that at which Saturn revolves around the Sun.
Results of direct observation of the AF Leporis star system in the infrared. Video: ESO/De Rosa et al
AF Leporis has approximately the same mass, size andtemperature as the Sun, but this star is much younger. Its current age is 24 million years. The researchers believe that further analysis of this planetary system will help to learn more about the early stages of the evolution of the solar system.
As of February 21, 5,250 have been confirmed, according to NASA.exoplanets in 3,921 star systems. Despite such a large number, the discovery of a planet through direct observation is rare. Previously, Hi-Tech told what other methods are used to search for distant worlds.
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