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Hubble Infrared View of Extrasolar Planet Candidate
This is an artificial-color Hubble Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) infrared-light view of the brown dwarf star 2MASSWJ 1207334-393254 (aka 2M1207) and giant planet companion candidate. The possible companion, estimated to be about five times the mass of Jupiter, is the magenta colored spot at lower right. The brown dwarf's location is within the circle at image center. The glare of the dwarf, which is 700 times brighter than the planet candidate (as seen at Hubble's near-infrared sensitivity) has been greatly reduced through image processing of NICMOS pictures taken at different Hubble orientations. In this picture the dwarf and candidate planet are at a minimum distance of 5 billion miles apart. Further observations will be needed to confirm that the two objects are gravitationally bound. The red, green, and blue colors correspond to infrared wavelengths of (1.6, 1.1, and 0.9 microns respectively). At a temperature of only 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, the candidate companion object appears very red in the NICMOS images.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.12h 7m 33.46s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-39° 32' 53.99"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Hydra
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.225 light-years away (70 parsecs)
- DimensionsDimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.This image is 2.5 arcseconds wide.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.The Hubble image was created from HST data from proposal 10176. The science team is composed of: NASA, ESA, G. Schneider (Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona), I. Song (Gemini Observ.), B. Zuckerman, E. Becklin (Univ. of California, Los Angeles), P. Lowrance (California Inst. of Technology), B. Macintosh (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), M. Bessell (Australian National Univ.), and C. Dumas and G. Chauvin (European Southern Observ.). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>NICMOS
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.August 2004
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F090M (0.80-1.00 microns), F110M (1.00-1.20 microns), F160W (1.40-1.80 microns)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.2M1207, 2MASSWJ 1207334-393254
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Brown Dwarf with Companion
- Release DateJanuary 10, 2005
- Science ReleaseHubble’s Infrared Eyes Home in on Suspected Extrasolar Planet
- Credit
Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.
Related Images & Videos
HST/NICMOS Images of 2M1207 and GPCC at Three Near-Infrared Wavelengths
These are Hubble Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Camera 1 images of 2M1207's giant planetary companion candidate at three increasingly longer near-infrared wavelengths [left to right: 0.9, 1.1, and 1.6 microns]. The light from 2M1207 itself has been...
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Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
