The system Gliese 667 (artist’s impression)

On 19 October 2009, the team who built the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher, better known as HARPS, the spectrograph for ESO’s 3.6-metre telescope, reported on the incredible discovery of some 32 new exoplanets, cementing HARPS’s position as the world’s foremost exoplanet hunter. One of these is surrounding the star Gliese 667 C, which belongs to a triple system. The 6 Earth-mass exoplanet circulates around its low-mass host star at a distance equal to only 1/20th of the Earth-Sun distance. The host star is a companion to two other low-mass stars, which are seen here in the distance.

Credit:

ESO/L. Calçada

About the Image

Id:eso0939a
Type:Artwork
Release date:19 October 2009
Related releases:eso0939
Size:4000 x 2250 px

About the Object

Name:Gliese 667
Type:Milky Way : Star : Circumstellar Material : Planetary System
Category:Exoplanets
Illustrations

Image Formats

Large JPEG
2.2 MB
Screensize JPEG
218.2 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

1024x768
267.6 KB
1280x1024
429.7 KB
1600x1200
619.6 KB
1920x1200
765.6 KB
2048x1536
948.2 KB