A New Way to Discover Exoplanets
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Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach in collaboration with NASA’s Universe of Learning partners: Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Video imagery:
- Artist’s concept of Beta Pictoris planetary system: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Ralf Crawford (STScI)
- Image and CO spectrum of Beta Pictoris d: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Leah Hustak (STScI); Science: Aidan Gibbs (UC San Diego), Jean-Baptiste Ruffio (UC San Diego), Alexis Bidot (STScI); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
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[00:00:00.00] Colorful images of planets, galaxies and various celestial bodies scroll past. A title: News from the Universe.
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[00:00:00.17] [COSMIC MUSIC]
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[00:00:10.88] Text: July 29, 2026, A new way to discover exo planets. Artist's concept.
[00:00:17.58] A new gas giant exo planet has been discovered in the well-known Beta Pictoris star system, located 63 light-years from Earth.
[00:00:25.80] Two exo planets orbit the Beta Pictoris star.
[00:00:34.95] Text: Scientists found the exo planet, named Beta Pictoris d, using a new method.
[00:00:47.03] It was discovered by the unique chemical fingerprint of its atmosphere, called a spectrum.
[00:00:53.58] While studying one of the other two exoplanets in the system with the Near-Infrared Spectrograph on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, scientists saw the distinctive pattern of a carbon monoxide spectrum, which they weren't expecting. A graph measures the Wavelength of Light in Microns on the X-axis and Brightness, from dimmer below to brighter above, on the Y-axis. A red zig-zag line captures Carbon Monoxide's reading under the best fit model, while a white zig-zag line depicts Carbon Monoxide's reading under Webb data.
[00:01:21.60] Text: The spectrum also indicated the new exo planet's position, proving that it was orbiting the star Beta Pictoris and not in the background. A rendering of the Beta Pictoris system appears to the left of the graph.
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[00:01:34.81] Beta Pictoris B appears to the left of Beta Pictoris D.
[00:01:39.30] Text: Scientists confirmed the spectrum with imaging.
[00:01:44.19] Scientists estimate that Beta Pictoris D is likely at least two times the mass of Jupiter, making it the smallest of the three known exo planets in the system. In a drawing, a dotted circle measuring the size of Neptune's orbit surrounds Pictoris B and D, extending slightly beyond the outside both exo planets.
[00:02:02.28] Text: This news was brought to you in part by the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.