Researchers from Northwestern University compiled several images into one short video.
Four glowing dots are moving aroundthe central star in the video. Although the planets appear very small at this distance, they actually resemble enlarged versions of the solar system's gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus. At the same time, the planet closest to the star makes a complete revolution in 45 years, and the most distant one in more than 500.
Planetary system HR 8799. Video: Jason Wang, Northwestern University
HR 8799 is a planetary system formed byvariable star of the same name. It is located 133.3 light years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. In 2008, this system became the first for which direct images of the planets were obtained: astronomers observed three gas giants in the infrared. A few years later, another planet was discovered.
As a rule, exoplanets are found only by indirect signs, such as fluctuations in the star or changes in the light of the star during the transit of the planet.
To create the video, the researchers combinedimages taken over 12 years of astronomical observations. To correct image blur caused by the Earth's atmosphere, the researchers used "adaptive optics" technology. In addition, so that the light from the star does not interfere with observations, scientists used a coronagraph and glare suppression algorithms. The motions of the planets have been smoothed out to fill in the space between shots.
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Cover: An artistic illustration of the early years of HR 8799's evolution. Image: Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mediafarm