Beta Pictoris

Astronomers discovered the dimmest directly imaged planet around Beta Pictoris using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope and NASA’s Webb Space Telescope. The cold gas giant, 100 times fainter than known planets, orbits a 20-million-year-old star system 63 light-years from Earth.

Astronomers discovered a faint, cold gas giant planet orbiting the young star Beta Pictoris after 11 years of observation. Two independent teams using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and NASA's Webb Space Telescope confirmed the dimmest directly imaged exoplanet, which is 100 times fainter than previously known planets and offers insights into planetary system formation.

Astronomers discovered the dimmest directly imaged exoplanet, a cold gas giant orbiting Beta Pictoris, after two independent teams used different telescopes to detect it. The planet, 100 times fainter than previously identified companions, takes 91 years to orbit a young star system 63 light-years from Earth.