![]() An exoplanet in M51 would be about 28 million light-years away, meaning it would be thousands of times farther away than those in the Milky Way. Until now, astronomers have found all other known exoplanets and exoplanet candidates in the Milky Way galaxy, almost all of them less than about 3,000 light-years from Earth. The possible exoplanet candidate is located in the spiral galaxy Messier 51 (M51), also called the Whirlpool Galaxy because of its distinctive profile.Įxoplanets are defined as planets outside of our Solar System. How far? About 28 million light-years from Earth.Where: M51 galaxy, in the constellation Canes Venatic.Researchers used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to detect the dimming of X-rays from an "X-ray binary,'' a system where a Sun-like star is in orbit around a neutron star or black hole. Learn about the new planet and other objects he's discovered.Astronomers have found evidence for a possible planet candidate in the M51 ("Whirlpool") galaxy, potentially representing what would be the first planet seen to transit a star outside of the Milky Way. What Lurks in the Outer Solar System? Mike Brown's home page. A permanent name has been proposed by the discoverers to the International Astronomical Union, and they are awaiting the decision of this body before announcing the name. The planet's temporary name is 2003 UB313. "I'd say it's probably one and a half times the size of Pluto, but we're not sure." "Even if it reflected 100 percent of the light reaching it, it would still be as big as Pluto," says Brown. Nevertheless, it is possible to set limits on the planet's diameter: The reflectance, the fraction of light that bounces off the planet, is not yet known. The bigger the planet, generally speaking, the bigger the reflection. Like all planets, this new one presumably shines by reflecting sunlight. ![]() ![]() To estimate how big it is, the astronomers must rely on measurements of the planet's brightness. Telescopes have not yet revealed the planet's disk. Image credit: Samuel Oschin Telescope, Palomar Observatory. The three photos were taken about 90 minutes apart. "We are 100 percent confident that this is the first object bigger than Pluto ever found in the outer solar system," Brown adds.Ībove: The new planet, circled in white, moves across a field of stars on Oct. ![]() In the last seven months, the scientists have been studying the planet to better estimate its size and its motions. The object was so far away, however, that its motion was not detected until they reanalyzed the data in January of this year. They first photographed the new planet with the 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope on October 31, 2003. The planet was discovered by, in addition to Brown, Chad Trujillo, of the Gemini Observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and David Rabinowitz, of Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. "It is currently almost directly overhead in the early-morning eastern sky in the constellation Cetus," notes Brown. But don't expect to be impressed: It looks like a dim speck of light, visual magnitude 19, moving very slowly against the starry background. ![]() Its sheer size in relation to the nine known planets means that it can only be classified as a planet itself, Brown says.īackyard astronomers with large telescopes can see the new planet. The planet appears to be typical of Kuiper Belt objects-only much bigger. This places the new planet more or less in the Kuiper Belt, a dark realm beyond Neptune where thousands of small icy bodies orbit the sun. Right: An artist's concept of the new planet. For comparison, Pluto is 40 AU from the sun. It is currently about 97 times farther from the sun than Earth, or 97 Astronomical Units ( AU). The planet, which hasn't been officially named yet, was found by Brown and colleagues using the Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory near San Diego. Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology who announced today the discovery of a new planet in the outer solar system. "It's definitely bigger than Pluto." So says Dr. Astronomers have found a new world bigger than Pluto in the outer reaches of the solar system. ![]()
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