http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/13/AR2008111302267.html?hpid=topnews Cool stuff...
So what you're looking at, I think, is the dust cloud surrounding the star, with the star light subtracted out.
I'm pretty open-minded, but when evidence is the difference of a dot to a few pixels to another dot in a sea of dots, I remain unconvinced. Interesting stuff, though.
6 pixel change in 2 years? Is that what it is suggesting? Mighty slow orbit of something mighty big, then, huh?
You have to remember, that the image is something that was made for a press release. We don't do science by looking at polaroids Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Well, ok, maybe some people do. The important thing to remember is signal to noise ratio, and statistics. If you understand the background REALLY well, and you have a TON of statistics, then you can accurately subtract it out, and even a little bump (like what you see above) becomes significant.
I hope the next generation space telescope is as good as expected as we could suddenly start seeing thousands of such planets. Are they including some hardware/software to block out star glow?
Hey, it's quiet at the weekends. I personally find it fascinating. Can't wait to find out what the spectra of the light looks like, to clue us in to composition.
It's pretty fricken awesome. I have done a share of astronomical research, concerned with pulsational modes in Sub-Dwarf B stars... In that research, we look for changes of a 1/1000th of a magnitude from ground base telescopes. You use stars in the same field of view to subtract out the wobble of the atmosphere... Bottom line, with a space based telescope and advanced processing techniques, its easy to understand how we were finally able to get a good glimpse of a planet outside our solar system! And to think, only 10 years ago this was thought of so far in the future! and 20 years ago, thought of impossible! T
Only just found this thread now.... I think this is a very interesting find, hopefully lots more will follow and at higher resolutions.
