Could It Be An Alien World? Movement Of A Star Indicates Signs Of A New Exoplanet

Humans and their constant need for company have led to many scientific marvels. University of Texas at San Antonio Professor of Physics and Astronomy Thayne Currie is one such astronomer. He is on the lookout to “find the next Earth,” he told Inverse.

Astronomers Spot Signs Of New Exoplanet Through Star's Movement

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In his quest to find the next?Earth, Currie researches planets around other stars as a step towards reaching his goal.? In his recent milestone-hunting experience, Currie discovered a rare view of an alien planet with his technique of direct imaging.

Dr. Thayne Currie leads an international group of scientists that recently identified a star?with a planetary companion combining indirect detection with a ground-based direct imaging technique.??The planet is now referred to as HIP 99770 b and is a directly imaged superjovian extrasolar planet orbiting the dusty A-type star HIP 99770.

Within the team of scientists led by Currie, Dr. Simon Murphy, an astronomer from the University of Southern Queensland, contributed his expertise in stellar pulsations to create a more comprehensive profile of HIP 99770b and the star it orbits.

Dr. Thayne Currie Is Confident That The Discovery Would Open Many Doors For Future Direct Exoplanet Imaging

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Dr. Murphy, who started with the project in 2021, said, "Direct imaging is a very important detection method that we have at our disposal, but so far only around 20 exoplanets?have been discovered using this method."

The lead author of the story, Currie, shared, "Performing both direct imaging and astrometry allows us to gain a full understanding of an exoplanet for the first time: measure its atmosphere, weigh it, and track its orbit all at once."

He was confident that this technique is the future of direct exoplanet imaging: "This new approach for finding planets prefigures the way we will someday identify and characterise an Earth-twin around a nearby star."

The feat was remarkable because detecting HIP 99770 b could be tricky as it is faint and often gets lost in the glare of its blazing host star.