Feature Astronomy

ExtraSolar

Three new projects aim to capture a first: an image of a planet orbiting a star outside the solar system

By Ron Cowen

- More than 2 years ago

In the 13 years since the first discovery of a planet orbiting a sunlike star outside our solar system, astronomers have found about 300 such “extrasolar” planets, but still have no pictures of any of them.



GPI VIEW This simulation shows what a dim extrasolar planet some four times the mass of Jupiter (green dot) would look like when recorded by an instrument called GPI, set for installation on Gemini South in 2011.