Why Isaac Newton would marvel at just how far astronomers can peer into outer space
A picture has been taken of a planet nearly 600 trillion kilometres from Earth
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Sixty-three light years is very far away – nearly 600 trillion kilometres. So the idea we could see anything at all at such a distance is extraordinary. However, that is the feat which Scottish scientists, working with colleagues in Europe and astronomers in Chile, have managed to achieve.
Step forward ‘Beta Pictoris d’, a gas giant like Jupiter, which appears as a small fuzzy blob on images captured thanks to the “remarkable capabilities” of a cutting-edge infrared camera.
Scientist William Taylor said: “Detecting a planet this faint next to a much brighter star is an immense technical challenge, and it is rewarding to see an instrument we led here in Edinburgh helping astronomers uncover new worlds.”
It joins a previously observed planet, Beta Pictoris b, which is much brighter. The ability to see several exoplanets from the same solar system was described as a ‘holy grail’ discovery because of how much scientists can learn as a result.
Isaac Newton once wrote: "If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” He would have been amazed and delighted by just how far we can see today.
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