Reviving Fomalhaut b
- Visualizations by:
- Scott Wiessinger
- View full credits
Fomalhaut is the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus and lies 25 light-years away.
In November 2008, Hubble astronomers announced the exoplanet, named Fomalhaut b, as the first one ever directly imaged in visible light around another star. The object was imaged just inside a vast ring of debris surrounding but offset from the host star. The planet's location and mass — about three times Jupiter's — seemed just right for its gravity to explain the ring's appearance.
Recent studies have claimed that this planetary interpretation is incorrect. Based on the object's apparent motion and the lack of an infrared detection by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, they argue that the object is a short-lived dust cloud unrelated to any planet.
A new analysis, however, brings the planet conclusion back to life.
Watch this video on YouTube.
In 2008, Hubble astronomers announced the detection of a giant planet around the bright star Fomalhaut. Recent studies have questioned this conclusion. Now, a reanalysis of Hubble data has revived the 'deceased' exoplanet as a dust-shrouded world with less than twice the mass of Jupiter. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
For complete transcript, click here.

This visible-light image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the vicinity of the star Fomalhaut, including the location of its dust ring and disputed planet, Fomalhaut b. A coronagraphic mask helped dim the star's brightness. This view combines two 2006 observations that were taken with masks of different sizes (1.8 and 3 arcseconds). Labels.
Credit: NASA/ESA/T. Currie (U. Toronto)

This visible-light image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the vicinity of the star Fomalhaut, including the location of its dust ring and disputed planet, Fomalhaut b. A coronagraphic mask helped dim the star's brightness. This view combines two 2006 observations that were taken with masks of different sizes (1.8 and 3 arcseconds). No Labels.
Credit: NASA/ESA/T. Currie (U. Toronto)
Formation of a ring around an extrasolar planet (artist's impression)
Credit: ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen)
View and download multiple formats of this video at ESA/Hubble's website.
For More Information
See http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/fomalhaut-exo.html
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. However, individual images should be credited as indicated above.
Animators
- Scott Wiessinger (KBRwyle) [Lead]
- Chris Smith (KBRwyle)
- Genna Duberstein (ADNET)
Writers
- Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park)
- Scott Wiessinger (KBRwyle)
Video editor
- Scott Wiessinger (KBRwyle)
Producer
- Scott Wiessinger (KBRwyle)
Narrator
- Chris Meaney (KBRwyle)
Papers
This visualization is based on the following papers:Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Tapes
This visualization originally appeared on the following tapes:- None
Datasets used in this visualization
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.