The newly identified exoplanet, Beta Pictoris d, is significantly fainter than its predecessor Beta Pictoris b, being 100 times dimmer. This makes it one of the lightest exoplanets ever successfully imaged from the ground.
An artistic representation of the Beta Pictoris system showcasing the newly discovered giant exoplanet Beta Pictoris d. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Ralf Crawford, STScI.
Situated about 63 light-years away in the constellation Pictor, Beta Pictoris is a stellar body with a mass approximately 1.8 times that of our Sun and an age of merely 20 million years.
It hosts a known circumstellar disk composed of gas, dust, and numerous comet-like objects, along with two previously identified giant planets, Beta Pictoris b and Beta Pictoris c.
Beta Pictoris b, with a mass ranging from 9 to 13 times that of Jupiter, completes an orbit around its star every 22 years, situated 9.8 AU (astronomical units) away.
On the other hand, Beta Pictoris c holds a mass about 8.2 times greater than Jupiter and orbits much closer at 2.7 AU, with an orbital period of approximately 1,200 days.
The recent discovery of Beta Pictoris d marks it as the second known planetary system to host at least three imaged planets.
“This was a serendipitous discovery,” noted Dr. Ben Sutlief, an astronomer at the University of Edinburgh. “We initially aimed to focus on Beta Pictoris b to analyze changes over time.”
An image captured by ESO’s Very Large Telescope highlights the newly discovered Beta Pictoris d, which is silently orbiting its parent star. Image credit: ESO / Sutlief et al.
To validate their findings, Dr. Sutlief and his team referenced the ESO Archive, revealing images of Beta Pictoris d made over a decade, with some barely discernible amidst the brilliance of Beta Pictoris b.
Dr. Jane Birkby from the University of Oxford remarked, “Beta Pictoris d has been eluding us for over ten years, but we can finally confirm its presence!”
Similar to Jupiter and Saturn, Beta Pictoris d is a gas giant, yet it possesses a significantly broader orbit than its neighboring planets.
It has a mass of only 2.4 times that of Jupiter, classifying it as one of the lightest imaged exoplanets. Due to its cooler temperature, it appears very faint relative to its host star.
“Beta Pictoris d is 100 times dimmer than the renowned Beta Pictoris b, marking it as the faintest exoplanet ever directly captured from Earth,” stated ESO astronomer Dr. Markus Bonse.
Beta Pictoris d showcased in reconstructed images from the Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec) of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI and contributors.
This groundbreaking observation of Beta Pictoris d was conducted using the ERIS instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope.
Moreover, an independent team led by Aidan Gibbs from the University of California, San Diego, also captured images of the same planet utilizing the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.
“This discovery enriches the narrative of an already captivating planetary system,” commented Dr. Gibbs.
“Beta Pictoris has long been a key focus for understanding planetary system formation and evolution. This new addition enhances that exploration.”
Both discoveries are documented in two papers published in the latest issue of the Astrophysics Journal Letter.
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Ben J. Sutlief et al. 2026. Discovery of direct images of the giant exoplanet Beta Pictoris d: A 10-year game of hide-and-seek. APJL 1006, L10; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae80a0
Aidan Gibbs et al. 2026. Discovery of a third giant planet orbiting Beta Pictoris. APJL 1006, L11; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae801b
Source: www.sci.news
