Disc around Beta Pictoris

This image represents Beta Pictoris. The disc around Beta Pictoris is probably connected with a planetary system. In particular, various independent observations have led to the conclusion that comets are present around this star, and variability of its intensity has been tentatively attributed to the occultation (partial eclipse) by an orbiting planet. The image was obtained by combining coronography (in which the light from the star is greatly weakened by covering its image with a small disk at the focus of the telescope) with the technique of high-angular resolution by means of adaptive optics which nearly eliminate the adverse effect of the turbulence in the terrestrial atmosphere. This results in a very sharp image with a high spatial resolution (0.12 arcsec) and a high dynamical range (10 5) which allows to follow the disk to a very small distance from the star, in this case only 24 AU (3.6 10 9 km), i.e. a distance where planets could be present. In the Solar System, this corresponds to a distance from the Sun to about halfway between Uranus and Neptune.

Crédit:

ESO

À propos de l'image

Identification:eso9714a
Type:Observation
Date de publication:11 juin 1997
Communiqués de presse en rapport:eso9714
Taille:658 x 655 px

À propos de l'objet

Nom:Beta Pictoris, Bet Pic
Type:Milky Way : Planet
Milky Way : Star : Circumstellar Material : Planetary System
Distance:70 années lumière
Catégorie:Exoplanets
Stars

Image Formats

Grand JPEG
71,7 Kio

Fonds d'écran

1024x768
105,5 Kio
1280x1024
152,5 Kio
1600x1200
198,8 Kio
1920x1200
218,6 Kio
2048x1536
282,9 Kio

Couleurs & filtres

DomaineLongueur d'ondeTélescope
Infrarouge
J
1.25 μmESO 3.6-metre telescope
ADONIS