Extrasolar planet pics
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- Nairn
Bit geeky here, but this is kinda big if you're into astronomy.. FIRST ACTUAL PICTURES OF EXTRA SOLAR PLANETS TAKEN!
Ok, they're little more than dots right now, but still, they're real and they're out there!
Hubble, Formault system (Formault B)
http://www.spacetelescope.org/ne…Keck/Gemini, HR 8799 (HR 8799 B, C & D)
http://www.lowell.edu/media/rele…
- gung_hoek0
NO WAY!
- gung_hoek0
wtf. it´s legit. stunning!
- Llyod0
first one looks like goatse
- Nairn0
I know, gung_hoek - I'm actually kind close to tears right now - this is such good news, and (God willing) merely the first successful efforts - I can't wait to see what they manage to come up with over the next couple of decades.
The universe is so beautiful.
- maysgrafx0
earth 2?... better economy?...
- gung_hoek0
yeah. I thought we´d have to wait at least 5y or so to see this happen. If hubble can do this, then the new earth bound cluster telescopes with adaptive optics maybe will produce shots with details of the atmospheres. happy happy. :)
- Nairn0
...and once we can resolve atmospheres, we can begin to spectroscopically analyse them for traces of water or organic-derived compounds.
Ye gads, it's times like this that I rue our short lifespans - I want to see what our descendants will see!
- me too. I only want to be rich in case cryogenics actually works. I so want to see what's coming in the future.Wolfboy
- TheBlueOne0
They're real, and they are spectacular.
- BuddhaHat0
Nairn, you see the article on Saturn?
It looks sort of like aurora borealis, but they have no idea what causes it...
- http://www.dailymail…BuddhaHat
- Somehow that picture freaks me out.eating_tv
- eating_tv0
I think the moon is scary. Fuck - extrasolar!? That cannot be right.
- TheMagicSheep0
in "i have no idea what the means" terms...can someone explain what that means?
- They're planets orbiting other stars - we've indirectly found evidence of about 300 planets - these are the 1st actual pics.Nairn
- skt0
i had not realised that we were not able to see other planets before now. just assumed we could.
- gung_hoek0
extrasolar planets could until now only be observed through indirect measurements, by observing the star of the respective solar system. being able to have a look at the actual planets themselves is something that was long sought after, it´s a milestone, a breakthrough in astronomy. good for research, space afficionados find it inspiring and humbling, fascinating. what it means? we´ll probably see other extrasolar gas giants (size of jupiter) in the near future now. the next big thing would then be direct observation of rocky planets (like earth!), could take a while though, rockies being super-small in comparison to the gas giants. :(
but having a look at another jupiter is exciting enough, no?
- imnotadesigner0
LIES!
Heres what it actually is
- skt0
^ ha!!... just came in here to post this.
- hahaha, what momentous times we live in. Black president, 1st pictures of planets, fuck the economy..mikotondria3
- kewHexton0
this is fantastic.
- boobs0
Those pictures could be fucking anything. I think those guys sit around and spend all the NASA budget on coke, and then just make those things up in Photoshop.
