Key Points

• By combining direct imaging and radial velocity observations from ground-based telescopes with precise astrometric acceleration data from a space telescope, the team discovered a companion orbiting a nearby red dwarf (about 55 light-years from Earth) and determined its mass (about 60 times that of Jupiter) and orbital semi-major axis (about 4.3 astronomical units) with high precision.
• This achievement was made possible by integrating radial velocity monitoring from the Subaru Telescope’s Infrared Doppler instrument (IRD) as part of the IRD Strategic Program (IRD-SSP), high-contrast imaging with the Keck Telescope, and astrometric data from the Gaia telescope.
• The newly detected companion is inferred to be a late-T-type brown dwarf and exhibits about 30% variability in near-infrared brightness, making it a promising “benchmark object” for future studies of atmospheric clouds and circulation.
• While previous methods combining Hipparcos and Gaia astrometric acceleration with direct imaging have been used to detect and constrain the masses of companions, this study represents the first successful application of Gaia-only acceleration data to a faint nearby red dwarf system, beyond Hipparcos’ detection limits, resulting in the precise characterization of a brown dwarf companion.

Results:

 M dwarfs, or red dwarfs, are the most common type of star in our galaxy, accounting for more than half of all stars in the Milky Way. These small, cool stars are key targets for understanding the processes of stellar and planetary formation and evolution. However, because M dwarfs are intrinsically faint, detailed observations have historically been limited, and early surveys suggested that more than 70% of them were single stars. Recent advances in observational techniques, however, have revealed that this picture was incomplete: the frequency of low-mass stellar and substellar companions, such as brown dwarfs, may have been significantly underestimated. Understanding how often such companions occur—and their mass distribution—is essential for distinguishing the similarities and differences between planet formation and star formation.

 An international research team led by the Astrobiology Center, California State University Northridge, and Johns Hopkins University has now discovered a brown dwarf companion, J1446B, orbiting the nearby M dwarf LSPM J1446+4633 (hereafter J1446), located about 55 light-years from Earth (Figure 1). J1446B has a mass of about 60 times that of Jupiter and orbits its host star at a distance roughly 4.3 times the Earth–Sun separation, completing one orbit in about 20 years. Remarkably, near-infrared observations revealed brightness variations of about 30%, suggesting dynamic atmospheric phenomena such as clouds or storms.

 The key to this discovery was the combination of three complementary observational techniques: (1) radial velocity measurements from long-term infrared spectroscopic monitoring with Subaru’s IRD instrument, (2) high-resolution near-infrared imaging with the W. M. Keck Observatory using advanced adaptive optics with a pyramid wavefront sensor, and (3) precise astrometric acceleration measurements from the Gaia mission. By integrating these datasets and applying Kepler’s laws, the team was able to determine the dynamical mass and orbital parameters of J1446B with unprecedented accuracy (Figure 2). Radial velocity data alone cannot break the degeneracy between mass and orbital inclination, but adding direct imaging and Gaia astrometry resolves this ambiguity. The Subaru IRD-SSP program provided essential RV data, while Keck’s state-of-the-art adaptive optics enabled the direct detection of the companion at a very small separation from its host star.

 Previous studies have demonstrated the power of combining Hipparcos and Gaia astrometric acceleration with direct imaging to detect and characterize companions. However, Hipparcos was unable to measure the positions of faint red dwarfs like J1446. This study is the first to apply Gaia-only acceleration data to such a system, successfully constraining the orbit and dynamical mass of a brown dwarf companion.

 This discovery provides a critical benchmark for testing brown dwarf formation scenarios and atmospheric models. Future spectroscopic observations may even allow researchers to map the weather patterns of this intriguing object. The result highlights the power of combining ground-based and space-based observatories to uncover hidden worlds beyond our solar system.

“Direct Imaging Explorations for Companions from the Subaru/IRD Strategic Program II; Discovery of a Brown-dwarf Companion around a Nearby Mid-M-dwarf LSPM J1446+4633” by Uyama et al. (DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ae08b6).

Research Funding:

This research was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Numbers: 24K07108, 24K07086).[1]  The development and operation of IRD were supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Numbers: 18H05442, 15H02063, and 22000005).

Notes:

*1: Brown dwarfs typically have masses between about 13 and 80 times that of Jupiter and cannot sustain hydrogen fusion like stars. They are sometimes referred to as “failed stars” in popular science, but their formation processes remain poorly understood. Like gas giants such as Jupiter, they cool over time, making them important targets for studies of planet formation.

*2: This refers to an observational technique that uses the Doppler effect: the motion of a star causes shifts in its spectral lines, which can be measured to detect companions.

*3: The Subaru Telescope and the Keck Telescope are large-aperture (8 – 10 m class) observatories located at the summit of Maunakea on the island of Hawai‘i.

*4: The Gaia spacecraft, launched in 2013, is an astrometric mission designed to create a detailed 3D map of stars in the Milky Way. Its extremely precise positional measurements enable the detection of companions and planets through the astrometric method, which relies on subtle stellar motions. Hipparcos, launched in 1989, was Gaia’s predecessor and provided the first space-based astrometric catalog.

Publication Information:

Journal: The Astronomical Journal
Title: Direct Imaging Explorations for Companions from the Subaru/IRD Strategic Program II; Discovery of a Brown-dwarf Companion around a Nearby Mid-M-dwarf LSPM J1446+4633
Authors: Uyama, T.; Kuzuhara, M.; Beichman, C.; Hirano, T.; Kotani, T.; An, Q.; Brandt, T. D. et al.
DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ae08b6

Related links:

Subaru telescope, NAOJ, October 20, 2025 Press release

W. M. Keck Observatory, October 20, 2025 Press release

The post Discovery of a Brown Dwarf Orbiting a Red Dwarf through the Synergy of Ground- and Space-based Observatories first appeared on Astrobiology Center, NINS.

Key Points：

• Using the 8-meter telescope (VLT) at the European Southern Observatory, astronomaers have caught the protoplanet AB Aurigae b in the act of gathering material from its surrounding disk.
• The light spectrum from the planet looks similar to that seen in young stars actively accreting material, marking the first direct evidence of mass falling onto a protoplanet.
• This discovery provides strong support that AB Aurigae b is one of the youngest protoplanets ever observed, still embedded within its birth disk.

Abstract：

Small rocky planets like Earth, which can harbor life, and giant gas planets like Jupiter are born around stars like the Sun. Their birthplace is a thin, disk-shaped structure of gas and dust known as a protoplanetary disk. Protoplanetary disks are observed not only around Sun-like stars but also around more massive or lighter young stars. Since the 2010s, their detailed structures have been revealed by 8-meter class telescopes such as the Subaru Telescope (in visible and infrared light) and the ALMA Observatory (in radio wavelengths).

Although many planets have been inferred indirectly from fine structures in these disks—such as gaps or spiral arms—directly capturing newly formed planets (protoplanets) within the disks has so far been achieved only in a few cases, including PDS 70 b and c and AB Aurigae b (AB Aur b). This is thought to be because most protoplanets are embedded within the disk, and become more visible only when they carve gaps in the disk or are observed from directly above. Protoplanets are also considered to be actively gathering material from the surrounding disk as they grow. However, detailed spectroscopic observations of this mass accretion from an embedded disk have, until now, been limited to the PDS 70 system.

In the present study, an international team of researchers led by the Astrobiology Center (Japan) and the University of Texas at San Antonio (USA) succeeded in detecting hydrogen emission lines from AB Aur b using the multi-object spectrograph MUSE mounted on the VLT. These emission lines are interpreted as evidence of mass accretion from the circumplanetary disk onto the protoplanet.

Background:

Since the first discovery of planets beyond the Solar System in 1995, more than 6,000 exoplanets have been identified. Many of these planets have properties that differ significantly from the eight planets in our Solar System. How are such diverse exoplanets formed and evolved, and which of them could potentially become Earth-like planets capable of supporting life? To address these questions, it is essential to observe young planets in the very act of forming in their birthplaces. However, due to observational challenges, direct observations of planets only a few million years old have been extremely limited.

Small, rocky planets like Earth, which can harbor life, and giant gas planets like Jupiter are born around stars similar to the Sun. Their birthplace is a thin, disk-shaped structure of gas and dust known as a protoplanetary disk. Protoplanetary disks are found not only around Sun-like stars but also around both more massive and less massive young stars. Since the 2010s, their detailed structures have been revealed through observations with 8-meter class telescopes such as the Subaru Telescope and with the ALMA Observatory.
While numerous planets have been inferred indirectly from fine structures in these disks—such as gaps or spiral arms—directly capturing newly formed young planets (protoplanets) within the disks has so far been achieved only in a few cases, including the ~4-million-year-old PDS 70 b and c and the ~2-million-year-old AB Aurigae b (AB Aur b). The latter was discovered with the Subaru Telescope in 2022 (Note 1). This limited success is thought to result from the fact that most protoplanets are embedded within the disk, becoming more visible only when they carve gaps in the disk or are observed from directly above.

Protoplanets are also considered to be actively gathering material from the surrounding protoplanetary disk as they grow. However, there have been no detailed spectroscopic observations of mass accretion from the embedded disk onto a protoplanet to date.

Findings：

An international team of researchers led by the Astrobiology Center (ABC), the University of Tokyo, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), Kogakuin University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Peking University has successfully detected hydrogen emission (Hα line) from the protoplanet AB Aurigae b (AB Aur b) using the MUSE spectrograph on the VLT. This emission is interpreted as material falling onto the circumplanetary disk around the protoplanet (Figure 1).

Hydrogen emission is commonly observed around young stars and their protoplanetary disks. In the present case, the emission comes from material accreting onto the small disk surrounding the still-embedded protoplanet. Using MUSE, which allows high-resolution spectroscopic imaging of extended structures, the team was able to separate emission from the protoplanet and the protoplanetary disk. The high spatial (0.3 arcseconds) and spectral resolution (λ/Δλ ~ 3000) of MUSE under excellent Chilean seeing conditions made this possible.

The detected Hα emission at the position of AB Aur b shows an inverse P Cygni profile (Note 2), similar to that seen in young stars (T Tauri stars; Note 3, see figure 2) undergoing mass accretion. To date, AB Aur b is the only protoplanet with this type of emission. Its young age (~2 million years) and the large amount of surrounding material strongly support that AB Aur b is a protoplanet still in formation. Previously, only PDS 70 b and c showed Hα emission, but those planets are located in disk gaps; AB Aur b is still embedded in the disk, making this the first such observation with the infalling signature.

AB Aur b is about four times the mass of Jupiter (Note 4) and orbits at 93 AU from its star. Such a distant giant planet does not exist in the Solar System. Standard planet formation models cannot fully explain its formation so far from the star, before migration occurs. This discovery supports a scenario where massive planets can form via gravitational instability within the disk, providing insight into a type of giant planet not seen in our Solar System.

The results were published on September 2, 2025, in The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Currie et al., “Images of Embedded Jovian Planet Formation at a Wide Separation around AB Aurigae”).

Notes:

Note 1: For the discovery of the protoplanet around AB Aurigae using the Subaru Telescope, and for detailed observations of its surrounding protoplanetary disk with complex structures, please refer to the press releases from the Astrobiology Center and the Subaru telescope, NAOJ, on April 5, 2022, and from the Subaru telescope, NAOJ, on February 17, 2011.

Note 2: Inverse P Cygni profile: The term "P Cygni profile" refers to a characteristic spectrum seen in the star P Cygni, in which an emission line and an adjacent absorption line appear next to each other, indicating large amounts of gas being ejected from the stellar surface. An inverse P Cygni profile is the opposite pattern, where the order of the emission and absorption lines is reversed. This profile is also observed in T Tauri stars (see Note 3) undergoing gas accretion onto their surfaces.

Note 3: T Tauri stars: Young stars that have formed within a gas cloud and have cleared enough of the surrounding gas to be observed in visible light. Some are still accreting material from the surrounding gas. The name comes from the prototype T Tauri star in Taurus, which was first reported as a new variable star in 1945.

Note 4: Considering observational uncertainties, the mass of AB Aur b is estimated to be roughly 4–9 times that of Jupiter.

Paper Info.：

Journal：The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Title：“VLT/MUSE Detection of the AB Aurigae b Protoplanet with Hα Spectroscopy”
Author ：T. Currie et al.
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/adf7a0

The post A Glimpse of a Planet in Formation: AB Aurigae b Detected in H-alpha Light first appeared on Astrobiology Center, NINS.

“We are now in a new era for imaging other worlds,” says Thayne Currie, lead author of the ground-breaking paper published in Science.

Direct imaging is a method that will someday reveal an Earth-like exoplanet around a nearby star. In the past 14 years, large ground-based telescopes equipped with adaptive optics (AO) to sharpen starlight have taken key steps towards this goal, revealing the first direct images of Jupiter-like gas giant exoplanets. These discoveries draw from so-called blind surveys: targets are selected based on system properties like age and distance but are otherwise unbiased. Unfortunately, the low yields of these blind surveys show that exoplanets we can image with current telescopes are rare. 

Direct imaging searches focused on stars showing dynamical evidence for a planet may greatly increase the rate of imaging discoveries. Precision astrometry — measuring the position and motion of stars on the sky — could identify which stars are being pulled by the gravitational influence of an unseen companion and thus may host planets we can image. 

An international research team led by Subaru Telescope, the University of Tokyo, the University of Texas-San Antonio, and the Astrobiology Center of Japan report the world’s first joint direct imaging and astrometric discovery of an exoplanet, using Subaru Telescope’s extreme adaptive optics system (SCExAO; Note 1) coupled with its near-infrared spectrograph (CHARIS) combined with astrometry from European Space Agency’s Gaia mission and its predecessor, Hipparcos. The planet was imaged around the nearby bright star HIP 99770, located in the constellation Cygnus.

“Once we knew which star to look at, Subaru’s extreme adaptive optics system was able to sharpen starlight so well that our infrared instruments could see the faint planet hinted at by Gaia and Hipparcos” notes Olivier Guyon, the Principal Investigator of SCExAO.

The planet – HIP 99770 b – is about 100,000 times fainter than the star it orbits. Its CHARIS spectrum, combined with follow-up imaging from the W.M. Keck Observatory, reveals an atmosphere shaped by water and carbon monoxide, with a temperature about 10 times hotter than Jupiter’s. Its atmosphere resembles an older and slightly less cloudy counterpart to the atmospheres of the first imaged planets, HR 8799 bcd.

By jointly analyzing data from the Subaru Telescope, Keck, Gaia and Hipparcos, the team was able to directly measure the planet’s mass and constrain its orbit. HIP 99770 b is about 14-16 times the mass of Jupiter in our own Solar System, and orbits a star that is nearly twice as massive as the Sun. The planet’s orbit is three times larger than Jupiter’s around the Sun or just over half of Neptune’s distance from the Sun. However, it receives nearly the same amount of light as Jupiter because it’s host star is far more luminous than the Sun. 

“Combining direct imaging from Subaru and Keck with precision astrometry tells us far more about planets like HIP 99770 b than was previously possible,” says Currie.

The discovery has broader implications for the field of extrasolar planets. HIP 99770 b was detected as a part of a SCExAO direct imaging program using Gaia data to identify stars being gravitationally pulled by unseen planets. While many results are currently unpublished, their detection rate so far appears much higher than from previous blind surveys.

“This approach is a better way to find planets that we can then image and study in detail. As our instruments are improving, more will be found,” says Guyon.

The combined approach will also allow us to find an Earth-like planet around a nearby star with upcoming ground-based observatories like the Thirty Meter Telescope or space-based ones like the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Such a planet will be much closer to its star than any planet imaged to date and so will spend a large amount of time either in front or behind that star, making it impossible to see. 

“The indirect detection method will point us to a star around which a rocky, terrestrial planet could be imaged. Once we know when to look, we hope to learn whether this planet has an atmosphere compatible with life as we know it on Earth,” says Motohide Tamura, Professor of the University of Tokyo.

The Subaru Telescope and the W. M. Keck observatory are located at the summit of Maunakea in Hawai`i, an inactive volcano known for its unsurpassed qualities as an astronomy site and its deep personal and cultural significance to many Native Hawaiians.

“Maunakea is the best place on the planet Earth to see other worlds. We are extremely grateful for the privilege of being able to study the heavens from this mountain,” says Currie.

These results appeared as Currie et al. “Direct Imaging and Astrometric Detection of a Gas Giant Planet Orbiting an Accelerating Star” in Science on April 13, 2023.

(Note 1) With ground-based telescopes, the images of celestial objects appear out of focus and shaky, as if looking out from underwater, due to the effects of the Earth’s atmosphere. Extreme adaptive optics corrects the turbulence caused by the Earth’s atmosphere in real time with exceptional precision, making the Subaru Telescope produce extremely sharp images.

(Related Links)

NAOJ April 14, 2023 Press Release 

Subaru Telescope April 13, 2023 Press Release

The University of Tokyo April 14, 2023 Press Release 

The University of Texas-San Antonio April 13, 2023 Press Release

The post Subaru Images, Weighs, and Tracks Massive Benchmark Exoplanet first appeared on Astrobiology Center, NINS.

Brown dwarfs (Note 1) are an interesting type of object not found in our Solar System, with masses somewhere between those of stars and planets. Brown dwarfs are also important for studying the evolution of giant planets and their atmospheres, because Jupiter-like planets and lighter brown dwarfs are expected to have similar characteristics.

Brown dwarfs  drift alone in space or orbit around stars. While thousands of brown dwarfs have been found since the first discovery in 1995, companion-type brown dwarfs are rare, with a frequency of only a few per 100 stars. For this reason, astronomers have been racking their brains for an efficient way to find companion brown dwarfs.

An international team including astronomers from the Astrobiology Center; the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and NASA has developed a new method to efficiently discover companion brown dwarfs and giant planets. Furthermore, they applied that method to imaging surveys with the Subaru Telescope. This search adopts information on the “proper motion” of stars in our Galaxy, which is the motion of stars with their own unique velocities. When a companion object orbits a star, the proper motion of the host star is accelerated by the gravity from the companion. However, the velocity change caused by a light companion such as a brown dwarf or planet is very small, making it challenging to measure the change precisely.

However, a turning point came with ESA’s astrometry satellite Gaia (Note 2), the successor to the Hipparcos satellite. By measuring the difference between the measurements from the two satellites, it is now possible to derive minute accelerations in proper motion (Figure 2 left). Using data from both telescopes, the research team analyzed the acceleration of proper motion for stars near the Sun, and selected stars that may be accompanied by giant planets or brown dwarfs. They then proceeded with direct imaging observations using Subaru Telescope’s high contrast instruments, SCExAO and CHARIS, leading to the discovery of a brown dwarf “HIP 21152 B” orbiting the star HIP 21152.

The team determined the orbit of HIP 21152 B by combining a total of four direct imaging observations by the Subaru Telescope and Keck Telescope, line-of-sight velocity observations of the star HIP 21152 by HIDES on the Okayama 188-cm Reflector Telescope, and the proper motion data from Gaia and Hipparcos. The companion’s mass is derived from the orbit, as indicated by Kepler’s law. The actual orbital analysis (Figure 2, right) determined the mass of HIP 21152 B to be 22­–36 Jupiter masses. Brown dwarfs with such accurately determined masses are rare (Note 3). HIP 21152 B was also found to be the lightest brown dwarf among those with accurately determined masses, approaching planetary masses (Note 4).

HIP 21152 B will be an important source for characterizing the atmospheres of brown dwarfs and giant planets. The team also obtained the spectrum of HIP 21152 B (Figure 3), showing that its atmospheric characteristics can be classified as being in the transition stage between two brown dwarf spectral types, L-type and T-type. Strong absorption from methane is shown in the atmosphere of a T-type brown dwarf, while an L-type brown dwarf shows little of it in the atmosphere. This spectral transition is strongly related to atmospheric temperature and the presence of clouds. Interestingly, the well-known directly-imaged planets around HR 8799 show a similar spectrum. In this respect, it is again important that the most fundamental characteristics of HIP 21152 B, namely its mass and age, are accurately determined. Masayuki Kuzuhara, a project assistant professor at the Astrobiology Center, who led the research, says, “This result can provide an important clue to understand the atmospheres of giant planets and brown dwarfs based on how and when they show atmospheric characteristics similar to those seen in the planets of the HR 8799 system and HIP 21152 B. It is expected that HIP 21152 B will play an important role as a benchmark for future progress in astronomy and planetary science.”

As this observation project is still ongoing, even more discoveries are expected. The Subaru Telescope’s direct imaging instruments continue to be improved, making new observational capabilities ready for science operation. With the progress in the efficient exploration and the development and improvement of Subaru Telescope’s instruments, various important discoveries will continue to be made in the future.

These results were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters on July 27, 2022 (Kuzuhara et al., “Direct-imaging Discovery and Dynamical Mass of a Substellar Companion Orbiting an Accelerating Hyades Sun-like Star with SCExAO/CHARIS“.) It was also featured in AAS Nova, which highlights outstanding research in the AAS journals (Featured Image: First Images of a Substellar Companion in the Hyades).

(Note 1) There are several definitions of brown dwarfs, but in general, brown dwarfs are considered to be objects with masses between 13 and 80 times that of Jupiter. Objects with such masses do not fuse hydrogen (unlike stars) but do fuse deuterium (unlike planets). In contrast, heavy planets and light brown dwarfs are very similar, and it is thought that there is no need to distinguish between them except for their mass.

(Note 2) Gaia is a space telescope launched in 2013 for high-precision astrometry. It provides unprecedented positional and radial velocity measurements for about one billion astronomical objects.

(Note 3) So far, the main method used to estimate the mass of brown dwarfs has been the “evolutionary model.” Evolutionary models predict the luminosity and temperature of a brown dwarf as it ages. Then the observed luminosity and temperature are used to determine the mass of the brown dwarf using these models. However, this method could yield an inaccurate mass due to uncertainties in the evolutionary model and the age (generally, the age of the brown dwarf is assumed to be equal to that of the host star or the cluster). HIP 21152 B belongs to the Hyades cluster, so its age is accurately determined, but the evolutionary model remains uncertain. The mass of HIP 21152 B estimated from the evolutionary model is 1.3 times larger than the mass determined from the orbital analysis.

(Note 4) A European research team independently succeeded in imaging HIP 21152 B (myScience article). Meanwhile, the study led by Kuzuhara is the first to prove that HIP 21152 B orbits its host star and to derive its dynamical mass.

(Note 5) A web tool provided by the University of Geneva is used as a reference for displaying the absorption wavelengths of the molecules.

(Related Links)

Subaru telescope, Jan. 23, 2023 Press Release

W. M. Keck Observatory January 23, 2023 Press Release

The post Direct Imaging Uncovers a Giant Planet-Like Brown Dwarf in the Hyades Cluster first appeared on Astrobiology Center, NINS.

Most extrasolar planets (exoplanets) are found by the indirect method, in which the presence of a planet is detected indirectly from observations of its host star (star). This is because planets are so faint that it is difficult to separate their light from that of the nearby bright main star and observe them directly. The planet’s host star, 2M0437, is a newly born star in the star-forming region of Taurus, about 420 light years away from Earth, and the accompanying planet is considered to be of the same age. Generally, young planets glow brighter in the near-infrared because of the heat from their formation. Using Subaru Telescope’s near-infrared spectroscopic imager IRCS and adaptive optics instrument AO188 in 2018, the research team discovered 2M0437b at 0.9 arcseconds away from 2M0437 by direct imaging (Figure 1).

The follow-up observations to confirm that 2M0437b is indeed a planet orbiting 2M0437 and not a background star were made with the Subaru Telescope and the Keck Telescope, also on Mauna Kea. After three years of observations and precise tracking, the two objects were confirmed to be a planetary system bound by each other’s gravity.

Based on the brightness observed by IRCS and other instruments, the mass of 2M0437b is estimated to be three to five times the mass of Jupiter. This is one of the lightest exoplanets found by direct imaging observations, and is a testament to the power of the Subaru Telescope and adaptive optics. The age of this planetary system is estimated to be 2-5 million years, making this the youngest planet ever discovered among the 10 Jupiter masses or less that can be reliably called a planet (Note 1).

Conventional theories of planet formation suggest that it is difficult for a small-mass star like an M dwarf to form a giant planet like 2M0437b at some distance from its host star (about 100 AU in this case) in a few million years. 2M0437b is an extremely valuable discovery for understanding where and how giant planets are formed. It will be an extremely valuable observation target for elucidating how and where giant planets form, and will provide important insights into the study of planet formation.

Assistant Professor Teruyuki Hirano (Astrobiology Center, National Institutes of Natural Sciences/National Astronomical Observatory of Japan), who is one of the leaders of the research, said, “There have not been many cases where exoplanets have been discovered by directly observing light from planets, and only a few planets with ages younger than 10 million years have been found. The newly discovered planet is one of the youngest, and is a very unique planetary system. In addition to the Subaru Telescope, we hope to study the atmospheres and other properties of newly born planets through further observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (an infrared telescope scheduled for launch at the end of 2021) and other telescopes,” he said.

This research was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on October 26th (Gaidos et al. “Zodiacal Exoplanets in Time (ZEIT) XII: A Directly-Imaged Planetary-Mass Companion to a Young Taurus M Dwarf Star“)。

(Note 1) If we include objects in the boundary region between “planets” and “brown dwarfs” that are larger than 10 Jupiter masses, objects as old as or slightly younger than 2M0437b have been reported.。

About Subaru Telescope：
Subaru Telescope is a large optical-infrared telescope operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) under the Large-Scale Scientific Frontier Initiative. Mauna Kea, where Subaru Telescope is located, is a precious natural environment and an important place in Hawaiian culture and history, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to explore the universe from Mauna Kea.

■Related Links

Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, October 23, 2021 (JST) Press Release
University of Hawaii (English) Oct. 22, 2021 (HST) Press Release

The post Subaru Telescope Discovers a newborn extrasolar planet first appeared on Astrobiology Center, NINS.