Subaru Telescope Images


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This August 2009 discovery image of GJ 758 B was taken with the Subaru Telescope's HiCIAO instrument in the near infrared, which measures and records differences in heat. Without the special technique employed here (angular differential imaging), the star's glare would overwhelm the light from the planet candidates. The planet-like object, GJ 758 B, is circled as B in the lower right portion of the image. An unconfirmed companion planet or planet-like object, C, can be viewed above B. The star, GJ 758, is located at the center of the image, at the hub of the starburst. The graphic at the top compares the orbital distances of solar system planets.

Image: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy/National Astronomical Observatory of Japan


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Size comparison (from left) between the sun, the Earth, Jupiter, GJ 758 B and GJ 758. The planet-like object's temperature of 600 degrees Fahrenheit makes it glow cherry-red.

Image: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy/National Astronomical Observatory of Japan


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Michael McElwain
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Department of Astrophysical Sciences
Princeton University
Princeton NJ USA

Photo: Princeton University, Office of Communications, Brian Wilson (2009)