ESO shares throwback image of first exoplanet photographed outside solar system 18 yrs ago

European Sourn Observatory (ESO) has shared a throwback image of an exoplanet which was first to be published 18 years ago on September 10. This exoplanet named 2M1207b is about five times mass of Jupiter and lies roughly 200 light-years away near sourn constellation of Hydra. Interestingly, this planet, which was first to be photographed outside our solar system, is orbiting a young brown dwarf star named 2M1207A and astronomers have confirmed that two are gravitationally bound to each or. 

About first photographed exoplanet

[Actual image of exoplanet 2M1207b (red) around its star 2M1207A; Image: ESO]

According to ESO, picture was taken using Very Large Telescope (VLT) in norrn Chile and discovery ended a dece-long discussion on nature of planetary system. Observations have revealed that planet is 100 times fainter than star it orbits and an examination of planet's atmosphere presented evidence of water molecules, confirming that it is cold.

Such conditions on planet are possible because of its staggering distance from brown dwarf, which is 55 times greater than distance between sun and Earth. Moreover, experts estimated size of this exoplanet (five times greater than Jupiter) using a method of analysis that focuses on strength of its gravitational field. 

Given rar unusual properties of 2M1207 system, giant planet most probably did not form like planets in our solar system," Gael Chauvin, ESO astronomer, and le researcher said in an official statement at time of discovery. "Inste it must have formed same way our Sun formed, by a one-step gravitational collapse of a cloud of gas and dust."

Moreover, Benjamin Zuckerman, UCLA professor, and research team member said that two objects, which are moving toger in space, mark first instance when an exoplanet has been detected around its star nearly twice as far as distance between Neptune and sun. 

Fast forward eighteen years, exoplanets are now being imaged using newly commissioned James Webb Space Telescope, which is expected to help in a deeper understanding of early universe. Last week, world's most powerful observatory delivered its first image of an exoplanet lying about 385 light-years from Earth.