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Date: | Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:22:58 -0500 |
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This does look like the first confirmed image of extrasolar planets. There have been other near-misses before -- things that turned out to be background stars -- but these are legit.
The star Fomalhaut is easily visible to the unaided eye; it's the 18th brightest one up there, much brighter than, say, Polaris, which is #50. Anyone south of about 50deg north should have no trouble seeing it in November and December, if you look low in the south-southwest after sunset. The observations of Fomalhaut b also show it moving in its orbit -- one of the things which allow us to confirm that it is in fact a planet.
The planets around HR8799 were imaged by some fancy techno-footwork using the Gemini North telescope and the Keck telescopes in Hawaii. (The Gemini is a seperate instrument from the Keck telescopes, but they're neighbors atop Mauna Kea.) To see this star, which is in Pegasus, you'll need binoculars at least.
As an impromptu activity with a high school group I'm expecting today, I'm going to have them come up with possible names for Fomalhaut b.
While I have your attention, are any list members' institutions planning activities for the International Year of Astronomy? 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first celestial explorations via telescope.
http://www.iya2009.org/
Marc Taylor
Coordinator, Andrus Planetarium
Hudson River Museum
511 Warburton Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10701
914 963 4550 x223
Fax 963 8558
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