An American astrophysicist has created an animation of the rotation of planets near a distant star - for the first time based on direct observations.
The variable star HR 8799 is located 130 light years away in the constellation Pegasus. It is quite young, the age of the star is estimated at less than 60 million years, and almost five times brighter than the Sun. Back in 2008, three large planets were discovered near it, about 10 times more massive than Jupiter.
The find became significant if only because exoplanets were then first observed directly, and not using indirect methods, according to their influence on the movement or luminosity of their parent star. Although it should be added that at the same time it was announced about direct observation and another exoplanet - Fomalhaut b, the image of which is shown in the illustration.
In 2010, a fourth gas giant was found in the HR 8799 system. Its active research continues today, including through direct observations in the infrared range. Astronomer Jason Wang of the University of California, Berkeley and NASA has combined the data collected over several years of observations of the HR 8799 system into spectacular composite animation.
Jason Wang / NASA
The black circle in the center of the picture screens the radiation of the star HR 8799. The animation does not cover the full cycle of revolution - for this time of observations is clearly not enough, because even the planet HR 8799 e closest to the star makes a revolution in about 45 Earth years, and the distant HR 8799 b - more than for 450.
Sergey Vasiliev
Promotional video: