Infrared image of the star GQ Lupi (A) orbited by a planet (b) at a distance of approximately 20 times the distance between Jupiter and our Sun. More pictures on [an external site]

GQ Lupi b is a possible extrasolar planet orbiting the star GQ Lupi. At its discovery in 2005, it was believed to be the first extrasolar planet to be directly imaged, although 2M1207b may also claim that distinction. The image was made with the VLT telescope at Paranal Observatory, Chile in April 2005. Infrared image of the star GQ Lupi (A) orbited by a planet (b) at a distance of approximately 20 times the distance between Jupiter and our Sun. ... Infrared image of the star GQ Lupi (A) orbited by a planet (b) at a distance of approximately 20 times the distance between Jupiter and our Sun. ... Image of a small dog taken in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... The Sun is the star at the centre of our Solar system. ... Infrared image of the star GQ Lupi (A) orbited by a planet (b) at a distance of approximately 20 times the distance between Jupiter and our Sun. ... GQ Lupi and GQ Lupi b GQ Lupi is a star in the constellation Lupus. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... 2M1207b is an extrasolar planet orbiting brown dwarf 2M1207A. It is five times the size of Jupiter. ... One of the four telescopes that make up the VLT, named Kueyen. ... The European Southern Observatory (ESO) is an international astronomical organisation, composed and supported by ten countries from the European Union plus Switzerland and was created in 1962. ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Ongoing events • Iraqi legislative election • Bill C-38 (Canada gay marriage) • Tsunami relief • Cedar Revolution in Lebanon • Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan • German Visa Affair 2005 • Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan • Terri Schiavo controversy • Pope John Paul II...

Located at a distance of about 100 AU from its companion star, giving it an orbital period of about 1200 years, GQ Lupi b is believed to be several times more massive than Jupiter. Because the theoretical models which are used to predict planetary masses for objects in young star systems like GQ Lupi b are still tentative, the mass cannot be precisly specified -- although most estimates give a mass of about 2 to 3 times that of Jupiter, other models place GQ Lupi b's mass anywhere between 1 and 42 Jupiter masses. At the highest end of this range, GQ Lupi b would be classified as a small brown dwarf in a binary star system rather than as an exoplanet. The astronomical unit (AU or au or a. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... Brown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects (~5 to 90 Jupiter masses) that do not fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores, as do stars on the main sequence, but have fully convective surfaces and interiors, with no chemical differentiation by depth. ... A binary star system consists of two stars both orbiting around their barycenter. ...

As of May 2005, the International Astronomical Union describes GQ Lupi B as a "possible planetary-mass companion to a young star." 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The International Astronomical Union (IAU) unites national astronomical societies from around the world. ...

External links

• New Scientist: First image of exoplanet orbiting Sun-like star
• The Planetary Society: Striking Image Could Be First Picture Ever of Extrasolar Planet
• BBC News: Telescopes see 'distant planet'
• Space.com: Fresh Debate over First Photo of Extrasolar Planet