images

Planet orbiting star Fomalhaut

by

Nasa/ESA/ESO/Novapix

Reference

a-exo01-00022

Date

2008-11-14

This illustration shows the discovered planet, Fomalhaut b, orbiting its sun, Fomalhaut. This structure is a Saturn-like ring that astronomers say may encircle the planet. Fomalhaut also is surrounded by a ring of material. The edge of this vast disk is shown in the background as the curving cloud-like feature that appears to intersect the 200-million year-old star. Fomalhaut b lies three billion kilometres inside the disk's inner edge. The planet completes an orbit around Fomalhaut every 872 years.