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Fri. September 10, 2004, 12:22pm PDT
Possible first photo of extrasolar planet
A team of astronomers trolling for extrasolar planets around brown dwarf stars may have the first ever image of such a planet. Although a hubble image taken in 1998 was thought to show a planet it hasn't been confirmed and could just be a background star.
The idea of directly imaging a planet around another star can be a reality for those orbiting dim stars since a brighter stars' glare usually blocks any direct imaging from happening. Within the next decade or two plans are in the works to launch a Hubble replacement that may have the ability to better directly image extrasolar planets. My bet is that the first sign of intelligent life out there won't come from radio signal or spots of laser light beamed across the galaxy but will come from these images -- once we see a sign that says "We are here" carved on the surface of a distant planet we'll finally know.
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