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Astronomers have managed to capture images of a solar system (one sun and 3 planets) – the first time ever!

This historic infrared portrait is the first to show a planetary system beyond the solar system. A trio of planets (faint dots indicated with arrows) orbits the young, massive star HR 8799, some 130 light-years from Earth. Each of these planets is several times as heavy as Jupiter and thought to be, like Jupiter, a gas giant.

Another team found the following:

The Hubble Space Telescope took this visible light image of what is almost certainly a planet (Fomalhaut b, inset) shown at two points along its orbit of the roughly 200-million-year-old star Fomalhaut (shown at center, its light was blocked to create the image). The star lies about 25 light-years from Earth and is twice as massive as the sun.

Source: Science Magazine

Read the full article at the Science News website.

VJ says:

facinating topic ! Hubble telescope is so far a gold mine for astronomers .
US scientists have sonar dish on earth that they claim could possibly “hear” if any alien happen to transmit signal to communicate .

Interestingly there are millions of galaxies out there… phew…
Even the nearest galaxy is hundereds of light years away . One light year is 9,460,730,472,580.8 km ! Hence it’s not possible to send space shuttle to nearest galaxy to survey alien life even if the shuttle travels at speed of light (which not designed as of now) . Until unless some day somebody discover a ‘worm hole’ to transport himself frm one point to another though it’s hundereds of light years away . If you used to watch ‘Star Gate’ series you might know….

Well . i’m sure for next few decades nothing could be possibly be discovered ! Maybe our great great great grandchild could live to witness the next historical milestone !

Posted on November 18th, 2008