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Schematic of Fomalhaut System

Schematic of Fomalhaut System
This diagram shows the orbit of the exoplanet Fomalhaut b as calculated from recent Hubble Space Telescope observations. The planet follows a highly elliptical orbit that carries it across a wide belt of debris encircling the bright star Fomalhaut. The planet swings as close to its star as 4.6 billion miles, and the outermost point of its orbit is 27 billion miles away from the star. The orbital period is approximately 2,000 years.
  • Release Date
    January 8, 2013
  • Science Release
    Hubble Reveals Rogue Planetary Orbit for Fomalhaut b
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Illustration: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI); Science: NASA, ESA, and P. Kalas (University of California, Berkeley)

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Rogue Planetary Orbit for Fomalhaut b

Rogue Planetary Orbit for Fomalhaut b

This false-color composite image, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, reveals the orbital motion of the planet Fomalhaut b. Based on these observations, astronomers calculated that the planet is in a 2,000-year-long, highly elliptical orbit. The planet will appear to cross a...

Fomalhaut System

Fomalhaut System

This is a false-color composite image of the Fomalhaut System taken with the Hubble telescope's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument in 2010 and 2012. The black circle at the center of the image blocks out the light from the bright star, allowing reflected...

Fomalhaut b 2012

Fomalhaut b 2012

Compass and Scale Image for Fomalhaut b

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Tracking Fomalhaut b from 2004 to 2012

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This movie shows the planet Fomalhaut b's movements from 2004 through 2012 as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Astronomers precict that the planet is expected to intersect and move beyond the dust disk surrounding the star Fomalhaut around 2032.

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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

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