We have learned rapidly in recent years about exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. NASA Over 5,000 Exoplanets Confirmed, but the planets orbiting star HR 8799 are pretty special. A new timelapse video shows their celestial dance over 12 years.
The planet of HR 8799 is making history. In 2008, HR 8799 First system to directly image multiple planetsSince then astrophysicist at Northwestern University Jason Wang We monitor exoplanets using the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Here is the timelapse image. In just a few seconds, you can witness her 10+ years of motion on planet HR 8799.
You can see that the central star is hidden. The video has been processed to keep the planet in focus and smooth the motion.
“Usually it’s hard to see planets in orbit.” the king said in a statement from the Northwest on Monday. “Astronomical events are often too fast or too slow to fit on film. But this video shows the planets moving on the human timescale. People can enjoy something wonderful.” I hope you will.”
HR 8799 is just over 133 light-years away from us in the constellation Pegasus. That still puts it in our cosmic neighborhood. It’s a star much younger than our Sun, and its planet is a giant gas giant bigger than Jupiter. What we see is just a small part of their journey. The closest planet to a star takes 45 years to complete one orbit. The furthest one takes almost 500 years.
The video is a beauty exercise. It’s about the feeling of wonder. “There is nothing scientifically to be gained from watching orbiting systems in time-lapse videos, but it will help others understand what we are researching,” Wang said.
