APOD: 2008 November 14 - Fomalhaut b
Since I got interested in astronomy as an impressionable young man, I’ve understood that most stars probably have planets around them. It’s been really rewarding to watch the progress over the last few years as more and more planets have actually been observed (for the most part indirectly—until now). I even understood that to directly observe a planet around another star, the exact technique used in his photograph would have to be used.
This planet is 3 times the size of Jupiter and 14 times farther away than Jupiter is from our sun. It’s also a mere 25 light years away (basically in our cosmic backyard). That means it is an enormous (probably uninhabitable) planet really far away from its star, which is very close to us. So it’s probably about as easy to visually observe as any planet in our immediate neighborhood. It’s an incredibly important step in the exploration of our galaxy, but there’s still a ways to go.
It’s amazing that so much has happened in this field in such a short time. I would not be surprised if within the next decade or so we observe a planet that is a potential target for an interplanetary mission.
It’s an exciting time to be alive.
