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Hubble finds 16 candidate extrasolar planets far across our Galaxy

5 October 2006

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This is an image of one-half of the Hubble Space Telescope field of view in the Sagittarius Window Eclipsing Extrasolar Planet Search (SWEEPS). The field contains approximately 150,000 stars, down to 30th magnitude. The stars in the Galactic disk and bulge have a mixture of colours and masses. The field is so crowded with stars because Hubble was looking across 26,000 light-years of space in the direction of the centre of our Galaxy.

Credits: NASA, ESA, K. Sahu (STScI) and the SWEEPS science team

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This is an artist’s impression of a Jupiter-sized planet passing in front of its parent star.

Such events are called transits. When the planet transits the star, the star’s apparent brightness drops by a few percent for a short period. Through this technique, astronomers can search for planets across the galaxy by measuring periodic changes in a star’s luminosity.

The first class of exoplanets found by this technique are the so-called “hot Jupiters,” which are so close to their stars they complete an orbit within days, or even hours.

Credits: NASA, ESA and G. Bacon

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This is an artist’s impression of a unique type of exoplanet discovered with the Hubble Space Telescope. The planet is so close it to its star that it completes an orbit in 10.5 hours. The planet is only 750,000 miles from the star, or 1/130th the distance between Earth and the Sun.
The Jupiter-sized planet orbits an unnamed red dwarf star that lies in the direction of the Galactic Centre; the exact stellar distance is unknown. Hubble detected the planet in a survey that identified 16 Jupiter-sized planets in short-period, edge-on orbits (as viewed from Earth) that pass in front of their parent stars. Hubble could not see the planets, but measured the dimming of starlight as the planets passed in front of their stars.
This illustration presents a purely speculative view of what such a "hot Jupiter" might look like. It could have a powerful magnetic field that traps charged particles from the star. These particles create glowing auroral rings around the planet’s magnetic poles. A powerful magnetic flux tube links the planet and star. This enhances stellar activity and triggers powerful flares. A powerful stellar wind creates a bow shock around the planet. The planet’s atmosphere seethes at 1,650 degrees Celsius.

Credits: NASA, ESA and A. Schaller (for STScI)

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