Beta Pictoris Archives

Schematic diagram (not to scale) of four angular momentum vectors in the β Pictoris system: total angular momentum (Lˆ), orbital angular momentum of planets b and c (nˆorbit,b, nˆorbit,c), and the spin vector of planet b (nˆspin,b). The mutual inclination between nˆorbit,b and nˆorbit,c is ∼ 1 ◦. Secular spin-orbit resonance can occur when the period of orbit nodal regression (path along grey dotted circle on the left) has a similar period to the spin axis precession (path along black dotted circle on the right). The period of spin axis precession can be greatly shortened in the presence of a close-in equatorial exomoon, which acts as a lever and effectively extends the planet’s equatorial bulge. I is the orbital inclination of β Pictoris b (orange ellipse) relative to the invariable plane (grey ellipse). -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

A Potential Exomoon From The Predicted Planet Obliquity Of β Pictoris b

by Keith CowingDecember 17, 2024December 17, 2024

Planet obliquity is the alignment or misalignment of a planet spin axis relative to its orbit normal. In a multiplanet system, this obliquity is a valuable signature of planet formation […]

A giant planet in another star system -- Grok via Astrobiology.com

Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia Mission, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Stellar Cartography

Detection And Characterisation Of Giant Planets With Gaia Astrometry

by Keith CowingNovember 16, 2024November 16, 2024

Astrometric observations with Gaia are expected to play a valuable role in future exoplanet surveys. With current data from Gaia’s third data release (DR3), we are sensitive to periods from […]

Artist’s rendition of variety of exoplanets featured in the new NASA TESS-Keck Survey Mass Catalog, the largest, single, homogenous analysis of TESS planets released by any survey thus far. Credit: W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko

Alpha Centauri, Astrogeology, Beta Pictoris, Ceres, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Pluto, Proxima Centauri, Saturn, Status Report, tau Ceti, TRAPPIST-1, Uranus, Venus, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Classifications For Exoplanet and Exoplanetary Systems

by Keith CowingSeptember 17, 2024September 17, 2024

When a star is described as a spectral class G2V, we know its approximate mass, temperature, age, and size. At more than 5,700 exoplanets discovered, it is a natural developmental […]

Variation of the orbital radius as a function of the orientation of the line of sight for hyperbolic orbits. Two different orbital eccentricities (e ∈ {1.01, 1.2}) -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Exocomet Orbital Distribution Around Beta Pictoris

by Keith CowingAugust 3, 2024

The 23 Myr young star β Pictoris is a laboratory for planet formation studies given its observed debris disk, its two directly imaged super-Jovian planets, and the evidence of transiting […]

Segment of the β Pic light curve with the deepest exocomet transit. Top: Similar to the previous figure, it shows the normalized PDC_SAP flux with the harmonic content (blue dots), and the red line represents the modeled harmonic fluctuations. Bottom: Difference between the original flux and the modeled one binned in 30-minute intervals. -- astro-ph.EP

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Numerical Simulations of Exocomet Transits: Insights From BetaPic and KIC 3542116

by Keith CowingJuly 31, 2024July 31, 2024

In recent years, the topic of existence and exploration of exocomets has been gaining increasing attention. The asymmetrical decrease in the stellar brightness due to the passage of a comet-like […]

Full light curve of all available observations of the star β Pictoris used in this work. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

The β Pictoris b Hill Sphere Transit Campaign. Paper II: Searching for the Signatures of the β Pictoris Exoplanets Through Time Delay Analysis of the δ Scuti Pulsations

by Keith CowingJune 11, 2024June 11, 2024

The β Pictoris system is the closest known stellar system with directly detected gas giant planets, an edge-on circumstellar disc, and evidence of falling sublimating bodies and transiting exocomets. The […]

PSF-subtracted JWST/NIRCam (left) and MIRI (right) images of the β Pic system (arbitrary color stretch). Five background sources were identified based on their NIRCam colors or morphology whose positions are highlighted in both images with red circles. The orange circles in the NIRCam image show the source positions rotated by the telescope roll angle, where negative ADI residuals are visible. BG4 appears to be the only source which is also visible in the MIRI image. The MIRI image was adapted from Rebollido et al. (2024). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

JWST-TST High Contrast: JWST/NIRCam Observations Of The Young Giant Planet β Pic b

by Keith CowingMay 30, 2024May 30, 2024

We present the first JWST/NIRCam observations of the directly-imaged gas giant exoplanet β Pic b. Observations in six filters using NIRCam’s round coronagraphic masks provide a high signal-to-noise detection of […]

Binned 5.2 µm slice of the PSF subtracted spectral cube showing the extended emission from hot dust. We apply an image normalization where vmin = −200 MJy/sr and vmax = 800 MJy/sr to emphasize emission from a spatially extended disk. The purple line shows a 5σ contour of the dust emission, the red circle shows the angular resolution of Spitzer at 5 µm (assuming it is diffraction limited) and the black circle shows the extraction aperture used for the MRS. The red cross shows the location of the central star. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

MIRI MRS Observations Of Beta Pictoris I. The Inner Dust, The Planet, And The Gas

by Keith CowingJanuary 31, 2024January 30, 2024

We present JWST MIRI Medium Resolution Spectrograph (MRS) observations of the β Pictoris system. We detect an infrared excess from the central unresolved point source from 5 to 7.5 μm […]

Complex nebulosity and substructures in the disk, as seen in F2300C. The stretch is adjusted to bring up fainter features observed in the outer regions. Relevant features are annotated including the main and secondary disk planes and cat’s tail. The nebulosity to the west (top) includes both irregular clumps or knots, and also some apparent linear striations or tendrils. To the east (bottom) the clumps are fainter and fewer but still present, including one particular bright clump at bottom center. These clumps are consistently detected in identical positions on the sky seen in the two distinct rolls, confirming they are astrophysical in origin rather than any instrumental artifact. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

JWST-TST High Contrast: Asymmetries, Dust Populations And Hints Of A Collision In The β Pictoris Disk With NIRCam And MIRI

by Keith CowingJanuary 14, 2024January 14, 2024

We present the first JWST MIRI and NIRCam observations of the prominent debris disk around Beta Pictoris. Coronagraphic observations in 8 filters spanning from 1.8 to 23~μm provide an unprecedentedly […]

This image from Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) shows the star system Beta Pictoris. An edge-on disk of dusty debris generated by collisions between planetesimals (orange) dominates the view. A hotter, secondary disk (cyan) is inclined by about 5 degrees relative to the primary disk. The curved feature at upper right, which the science team nicknamed the “cat’s tail,” has never been seen before. A coronagraph (black circle and two small disks) has been used to block the light of the central star, whose location is marked with a white star shape. In this image light at 15.5 microns is colored cyan and 23 microns is orange (filters F1550C and F2300C, respectively). NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, C. Stark and K. Lawson (NASA GSFC), J. Kammerer (ESO), and M. Perrin (STScI). -- NASA

Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Webb Telescope Discovers Dusty ‘Cat’s Tail’ In The Beta Pictoris System

by Keith CowingJanuary 11, 2024January 14, 2024

Beta Pictoris, a young planetary system located just 63 light-years away, continues to intrigue scientists even after decades of in-depth study.

Beta Pictoris

A Potential Exomoon From The Predicted Planet Obliquity Of β Pictoris b

Detection And Characterisation Of Giant Planets With Gaia Astrometry

Classifications For Exoplanet and Exoplanetary Systems

Exocomet Orbital Distribution Around Beta Pictoris

Numerical Simulations of Exocomet Transits: Insights From BetaPic and KIC 3542116

The β Pictoris b Hill Sphere Transit Campaign. Paper II: Searching for the Signatures of the β Pictoris Exoplanets Through Time Delay Analysis of the δ Scuti Pulsations

JWST-TST High Contrast: JWST/NIRCam Observations Of The Young Giant Planet β Pic b

MIRI MRS Observations Of Beta Pictoris I. The Inner Dust, The Planet, And The Gas

JWST-TST High Contrast: Asymmetries, Dust Populations And Hints Of A Collision In The β Pictoris Disk With NIRCam And MIRI

Webb Telescope Discovers Dusty ‘Cat’s Tail’ In The Beta Pictoris System

Perseverance Astrobiology Droid Has Completed A Martian Marathon

Machine Learning And Deep Learning For Exoplanet Detection And Atmospheric Characterization With JWST And The Upcoming Ariel Mission

Bioleaching Of Critical Trace Metals By Sphingomonas Desiccabilis: Substrate-driven Selectivity In Earth And Space Analogues

TESS Reveals The Puffiest Exoplanets Ever Found

An Agnostic Machine Learning Model of Photosynthetic Habitability