HR 8799 was first imaged in 2008 and became the first extrasolar planetary system directly observed. For the next 12-years, these observations were compiled into an incredible time-lapse video showing four exoplanets orbiting their star located 133.3 light-years from Earth. Each one of these planets is larger than Jupiter and gives us a glimpse at their planetary motion on a human time scale.
Located in the Pegasus constellation, HR 8799 is approximately 1.5-times larger and 5-times more luminous than our Sun. Its age has been determined to be around 30 million years old, which means it formed after the dinosaur extinction event. Compiling these observations into a time-lapse video required “adaptive optics” to correct image blurring caused by Earth’s atmosphere. Astrophysicist Jason Wang then used specialized instrumentation, called a “coronagraph,” and processing algorithms to suppress the glare from the system’s central star.
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It’s usually difficult to see planets in orbit. For example, it isn’t apparent that Jupiter or Mars orbit our sun because we live in the same system and don’t have a top-down view. Astronomical events either happen too quickly or too slowly to capture in a movie. But this video shows planets moving on a human time scale. I hope it enables people to enjoy something wondrous,” said Jason Wang, Astrophysicist at Northwestern University.
