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JCMT
Epsilon Eridani
© Joint Astronomy Centre
Circumstellar Disk
Submillimeter Image
Distance from the Sun: 10 light years
Epsilon Eridani is surrounded by a dust disk, which
might indicate that a Solar System is being formed
around this star. Dust disks are much easier to spot than
tiny planets, so they are signposts for the presence of
planets. The disks also give clues about how planets are
formed. ♦
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outreach.jach.hawaii.edu
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Gemini
HR 8799 & Planets
© Gemini Observatory / AURA
Exoplanets
Infrared Image
Distance from the Sun: 130 light years
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www.gemini.edu
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This image is Gemini's historic discovery of the first
family of planets around a star. The star is blocked out in
this image to show the planets more clearly. The planets
are labeled “b”, “c”, and “d”.
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Helix Nebula
CSO
© Ken H. (Taco) Young / Caltech Submillimeter Observatory
Planetary Nebula
Submillimeter Image
Distance from the Sun: 400 light years
These color contours show the distribution of carbon
monoxide (CO) gas associated with the Helix Nebula
taken with one of CSO’s heterodyne receivers, overlaid
on an infrared image. Different color contours trace
different parts of the cold circumstellar gas with different
velocities shed by the dying star.
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www.submm.caltech.edu/cso
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Helix Nebula
CFHT © Canada-France-Hawai i Telescope / Coelum
Planetary Nebula
Visible Image
Distance from the Sun: 400 light years
The Helix planetary nebula is an enormous bubble of
gas blown by a star which has reached the final stages
of its existence. The colors are formed by intense UV
light from the star interacting with the gas bubble. The
size of the nebula is more than 5000 times the size of
our Solar System.
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www.cfht.hawaii.edu