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National Science Foundation • Division of Astronomical Sciences Gemini GPI images show exoplanet β Pic b and the β Pic circumstellar disk as the planet moves through its 22-year orbital period Prepared by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy National Science Foundation • Division of Astronomical Sciences SCIENCE PEOPLE TECHNOLOGY Exoplanet moves around a distant star * The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) instrument on the Gemini South telescope in Chile has given us our best view yet of an exoplanet moving in its orbit around a distant star. Giant planet β Pic b has a mass about ~11x that of Jupiter, with an orbital distance similar to Saturn. It is part of a complex system that includes an enormous debris disk. Because the planet and disk interact gravitationally, the system provides astronomers with an ideal laboratory to test theories of planetary system formation. GPI’s capability to image the planet is a remarkable feat given that an orbiting world typically appears a million times fainter than its parent star. This is possible because GPI's adaptive optics sharpen the image of the target star by cancelling out the distortion caused by the Earth’s atmosphere; it then blocks the bright image of the star with a device called a coronagraph, revealing the exoplanet. * Image is animated in powerpoint version Prepared by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy