Images of the lowest-mass extrasolar #planet ever discovered that has both a direct mass measurement and an orbit similar to the giant planets in our own solar system.

It’s also among the first ever discovered using a technique called #astrometry, which relies on subtle movements of a host #star over many years.

The planet is about three times the mass of #Jupiter orbiting AF Leporis, a young sun-like star about 87.5 light years away.

#astronomy #exoplanets
https://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/releases/20230622

Jovian Moon Shadow

Jupiter's moon Amalthea casts a shadow on the gas giant planet in this image captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstadt/Sean Doran © CC NC SA

Instrument: JunoCam
Mission: Juno
Tags: Jupiter
More: https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21969
#space #NASA #JPL #photography #astronomy #astrodon

More strange Mastodon reporting. This time from @thurrott, who claims "I’ve been using Mastodon since December, but the interaction there is almost non-existent compared to Twitter."

Dude, you follow 22 people. Try following more people. The "non-existent" interaction is *up to you*.

I've found WAY MORE interactions and engagement here than I ever had on Twitter. Plus fewer death threats.

https://www.thurrott.com/cloud/social/279094/mastodon-continues-to-lose-users

It's been a landmark year for discovering new worlds.

In 2022, astronomers surpassed 5000 confirmed #exoplanets, alien worlds beyond our solar system.

These include a diversity of distant planets, including rocky super-Earths, gas giants like Jupiter, ice giants like Neptune, and beyond.

Although planetary scientists have discovered thousands of these curious places, it's likely there are over a trillion exoplanets in our Milky Way galaxy alone.

#astronomy
https://sea.mashable.com/life/22152/the-stunning-new-planets-discovered-in-2022