Astronomers Directly Image Beta Pictoris d, 3rd Planet in 63-Light-Year System
Updated
Updated · Sci.News · Jul 15
Astronomers Directly Image Beta Pictoris d, 3rd Planet in 63-Light-Year System
3 articles · Updated · Sci.News · Jul 15
Summary
Beta Pictoris d has been confirmed as the third planet around the young star Beta Pictoris, making it only the second known planetary system with at least three directly imaged planets.
2.4 Jupiter masses and 100 times fainter than Beta Pictoris b, the gas giant is among the lightest exoplanets ever imaged from the ground and the faintest directly imaged from Earth.
ERIS on ESO’s Very Large Telescope delivered the first clear detection after researchers, initially tracking Beta Pictoris b, spotted an extra object and then traced it in archival images going back 11 years.
An independent team led from UC San Diego also found the planet with the James Webb Space Telescope, with both discoveries published in the same issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Beta Pictoris, about 63 light-years away and only 20 million years old, remains a key laboratory for studying how giant planets form and evolve.
A ground telescope found the faintest planet. Is the future of planet hunting here on Earth?
Does this new gas giant force us to completely rethink how planetary systems are born?
How many new worlds are hidden in old data, waiting for an AI to finally reveal them?
Beta Pictoris d: Discovery of the Faintest Directly Imaged Exoplanet and Its Impact on Planetary System Science
Overview
On July 15, 2026, astronomers announced the discovery of Beta Pictoris d, the third exoplanet in the Beta Pictoris system. This planet is special because it was the first to be directly imaged mainly through moderate-resolution spectroscopy, allowing scientists to identify it by analyzing its unique atmospheric fingerprints. The Webb team played a key role by gathering and analyzing data that revealed water vapor, methane, and carbon monoxide in the planet’s atmosphere. They also calculated its position and alignment with the star’s debris disk, confirming that Beta Pictoris d is truly orbiting its host star. This new method of discovery opens exciting possibilities for finding more hidden worlds.