In a truly historic moment, NASA has revealed the first ever image of an alien planet outside of our solar system.
Captured using the James Webb Space Telescope, the first-ever direct image of its kind was shared today (September 1), showing exoplanet 'HIP 65426 b' in four different light filters.
NASA confirmed that the planet is a gas giant, meaning it has no rocky surface and could not be habitable – so no aliens, folks.
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But the discovery is incredible nonetheless, as expressed by Sasha Hinkley, associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Exeter and leader of the observations.
"This is a transformative moment, not only for Webb but also for astronomy generally," she said in a statement shared by the space agency.
NASA also offered a number of interesting facts about the exoplanet, including that it is around 15 to 20 million years old.
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Since its discovery in 2017, researchers have determined it to be around six to 12 times the mass of Jupiter, and they're hoping these new observations will help to narrow this down.
Capturing the image was no mean feat as stars are so much brighter than exoplanets, but the experts were able to make it possible thanks to sophisticated processing technology.
Aarynn Carter, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and leader of the analysis of the images, explained: "Obtaining this image felt like digging for space treasure.
"At first all I could see was light from the star, but with careful image processing I was able to remove that light and uncover the planet."
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Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) both feature coronagraphs, which are sets of tiny masks that block out starlight and allow the Webb telescope to take pictures of certain exoplanets.
Speaking about the technology, Hinkley added: "It was really impressive how well the Webb coronagraphs worked to suppress the light of the host star."
Webb has taken its first image of an exoplanet! This image shows the exoplanet HIP 65426 b in different bands of infrared light and demonstrates how #Webb’s powerful instruments can easily capture worlds beyond our solar system. Learn more here: esawebb.org/images/HIP-654…
The image not only allows researchers to examine the exoplanet further, but it also paves the way for studying other distant worlds.
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"I think what’s most exciting is that we’ve only just begun," added Carter. "There are many more images of exoplanets to come that will shape our overall understanding of their physics, chemistry, and formation.
"We may even discover previously unknown planets, too."
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Topics: NASA, Space, Science, World News