# 1st Photos of Extrasolar Planet!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 1, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298 "2005-04-01T20:32:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/1 "2005-04-01T20:32:17Z")
[Utterly amazing.](http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050401_first_extrasolarplanet_pic.html) > [@](#): > > After a few close calls, astronomers have finally obtained the first photograph of a planet beyond our solar system, [SPACE.com](http://SPACE.com) has learned. > > And this time they’re sure. > > The planet is thought to be one to two times as massive as Jupiter. It orbits a star similar to a young version of our Sun. > > The star, GQ Lupi, has been observed by a team of European astronomers since 1999. They have made three images using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile. The Hubble Space Telescope and the Japanese Subaru Telescope each contributed an image, too. > > The work was led by Ralph Neuhaeuser of the Astrophysical Institute & University Observatory (AIU). > > “The detection of the faint object near the bright star is certain,” Neuhaeuser told [SPACE.com](http://SPACE.com) on Friday. > > The system is young, so the planet is rather warm, like a bun fresh out of the oven. That warmth made it comparatively easier to see in the glare of its host star compared with more mature planets. Also, the planet is very far from the star – about 100 times the distance between Earth and the Sun, another factor in helping to separate the light between the two objects. You can see the pic [here.](http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=050401_FIRST_PLANET_02.jpg&cap=The+young+star+GQ+Lupi+and+its+fainter+planetary+companion.+Image+Credit%3A+ESO%2FVLT) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/2 "2005-04-01T20:39:21Z")
heh. you got me! good one. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/3 "2005-04-01T20:43:31Z")
Que? AFAIK, it’s not an April Fool’s prank. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/4 "2005-04-01T20:56:12Z")
> [@](#): > > They have made three images using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) Wow, I wonder what genius came up with the name for that telescope. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/5 "2005-04-01T20:58:57Z")
> [@raz](#): > > Wow, I wonder what genius came up with the name for that telescope. You know, one of the original names kicked around for the Hubble was “Great Orbital Device.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/6 "2005-04-01T21:38:51Z")
I just knew it was gonna be a picture of Uranus… ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/7 "2005-04-02T03:10:49Z")
> [@raz](#): > > Wow, I wonder what genius came up with the name for that telescope. [That’s nothing.](http://www.eso.org/projects/owl/index_3.html) ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/8 "2005-04-02T12:50:41Z")
It was originally slated to be called the Bloody Large Telescope but then all of the naming committee got inexplicable hungy and a recess was called for. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/9 "2005-04-02T13:35:29Z")
> [@raz](#): > > Wow, I wonder what genius came up with the name for that telescope. I thought the TGV was the coolest name in the world for a train until somebody translated the French for me and I found out it just means “high-speed train”. Another illusion shattered ☹ It’s still a cool train. And actually taking a _photo_ of an extrasolar planet is just mind-blowingly amazing, even if the telescope that took it does have a boring name. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/10 "2005-04-02T17:21:51Z")
> [@Duke of Rat](#): > > I just knew it was gonna be a picture of Uranus… I thought posting pictures of naughty bits was a no no in these forums. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/11 "2005-04-02T18:09:46Z")
I think NASA is working in collaboration with the ESA to develop the BFT… ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/12 "2005-04-02T20:53:26Z")
Another not-very-original telescope name is the [url=][http://www.vla.nrao.edu/VLA](http://www.vla.nrao.edu/VLA). :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/13 "2005-04-02T20:55:28Z")
Damn coding! Fixed link - [VLA](http://www.vla.nrao.edu/VLA) ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1st-photos-of-extrasolar-planet/297298/14 "2005-04-02T21:25:34Z")
Ooh, cool. (From seeing pictures, I’d say that “very large array” is the best name for it. 'cuz really…it’s very large. And an array of satellite dishes. Quite boring to look at, IMO.)