NASA’s Webb Discovers Hidden Planet in Famous Star System

Beta Pictoris System (Artist's Concept)

This artist’s concept shows the Beta Pictoris system with the discovered giant exoplanet Beta Pictoris d at the right. It has the widest orbit of the known three exoplanets within the system.

Beta Pictoris System (NIRSpec IFU Image and Spectrum)

Researchers used the NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) Integral Field Unit on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to map chemical contents of the Beta Pictoris system. As a result, they discovered a third planet, Beta Pictoris d, orbiting the young star.

Beta Pictoris System (NIRSpec IFU Image Annotated)

The newly discovered third planet orbiting Beta Pictoris, Beta Pictoris d, is seen in reconstructed imagery from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph).

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Read more:Webb’s Impact on Exoplanet Research

Read more:NASA’s Webb Discovers Dusty ‘Cat’s Tail’ in Beta Pictoris System

Explore more:Beta Pictoris: Icy Debris Suggests 'Shepherd' Planet

Watch:How to Study Exoplanets: Webb and Challenges

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More Webb:News | Images | Science | Home Page

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Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Related Terms

• James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
• Astrophysics
• Exoplanets
• Goddard Space Flight Center
• Science & Research
• The Universe

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