Length of Exoplanet's Day Measured for First Time | ESO Space Video

634 views · Published 5 May 2014 · 1:27 · Indexed 25 September 2026

Channel: CoconutScienceLab · 2014 · Science & Technology

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More space news and info at: http://www.coconutsciencelab.com - extra-solar planet Beta Pictoris b orbits the star Beta Pictoris, which lies about 63 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Pictor. The planet orbits its host star at a distance of only eight times the Earth-Sun distance, making it the closest exoplanet to its star ever to be directly imaged.

Observations from ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) have determined the rotation rate of Beta Pictoris b. It has been found to have a day that lasts only eight hours. This is much quicker than any planet in the Solar System - its equator is moving at almost 100,000 kilometers per hour. This is the first time astronomers have been able to use their observations to determine an exoplanet's rotation rate.

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Credit: ESO, Digitized Sky Survey 2, Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org), L. Calçada
Music: movetwo

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