A giant planet imaged in the disk of the young star Beta Pictoris

TL;DR

This paper reports the direct imaging of a massive giant planet, Beta Pictoris b, in the young star system Beta Pictoris, confirming rapid gas giant formation and demonstrating the effectiveness of disk structures as planet indicators.

Contribution

First direct imaging of a giant planet within 15 AU of a young star, validating disk features as signs of embedded planets.

Findings

Beta Pictoris b is a massive giant planet at 8-15 AU.

The planet's short orbital period allows full orbit observation within 17 years.

The discovery confirms rapid gas giant formation in young disks.

Abstract

Here we show that the ~10 Myr Beta Pictoris system hosts a massive giant planet, Beta Pictoris b, located 8 to 15 AU from the star. This result confirms that gas giant planets form rapidly within disks and validates the use of disk structures as fingerprints of embedded planets. Among the few planets already imaged, Beta Pictoris b is the closest to its parent star. Its short period could allow recording the full orbit within 17 years.