Faintest Exoplanet Found Accidentally | Science News

Astronomers stumbled upon a cosmic surprise while studying Beta Pictoris: a third planet, Beta Pictoris d, the faintest exoplanet ever captured by Earth-based telescopes. This gas giant, about 2.5 times Jupiter’s mass, orbits its star every 91 years and was hidden in plain sight—emitting leftover heat from its 20-million-year-old formation. Discovered accidentally by researcher Ben Sutlieff through mid-infrared data, the find proves ground-based telescopes, armed with smart algorithms, can still deliver major discoveries—even outshining expensive space telescopes. With the Extremely Large Telescope set to launch in 2029, this discovery hints at a cosmic feast of hidden worlds yet to be found. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/f02f9c202e9c414a