The extraordinary GRAVITY instrument on the VLT has allowed the direct imaging of two planets orbiting around the star beta Pictoris. 

Dubbed beta Pictoris c, this glint of light was confirmed as a planet using additional radial velocity measurements that could measure the planet’s gravitational effects on its host star. With this data, researchers can measure the planet’s mass and luminosity, and by making assumptions about the planet’s composition, they can estimate its size as well. So far, it appears that the inner world c is eight times the mass of Jupiter. It is also six times fainter than its larger, more distant sibling, which orbits every 28 years and hasn’t been known long enough for us to measure its mass yet. When that world finishes an orbit, and we can tell you its details, we’ll bring them to you here on the Daily Space.

More Information

Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics press release 

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy press release 

“Direct Confirmation of the Radial-Velocity Planet Beta Pictoris c,” M. Nowak et al., 2020 Oct. 2, Astronomy and Astrophysics (preprint)

“Unveiling the Beta Pictoris System, Coupling High Contrast Imaging, Interferometric, and Radial Velocity Data,” A.-M. Lagrange et al., 2020 Oct. 2, Astronomy and Astrophysics (preprint)