To date, it has been possible to confirm the existence of thousands of exoplanets, but only 25 of them have been directly photographed. And only six of them are more than 100 million years old. And finally, scientists managed to take a photo of an adult exoplanet.

In July 2023, astronomers took pictures of the small triple system Epsilon Indica, located about 12 light-years away from us, with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope. Its main component is an orange dwarf that emits seven times less light than the Sun. It is accompanied by a pair of brown dwarfs. When they were discovered in 2003, they became the closest objects we know of. Finally, scientists suggested that an exoplanet is present in the system.

The previously predicted exoplanet was supposed to be three times larger than Jupiter and fly at a distance of about 8.8 astronomical units from the star (an astronomical unit is called the average distance from the Earth to the Sun). On the scale of the solar system, it is slightly closer than Saturn. It was he who planned to find the authors of the new scientific work when they were invited to conduct a series of observations on the “James Webby”. Observations were made in the mid- and long-infrared wavelength ranges using the MIRI device.

It turned out that there really is a planet in the system. However, according to new data, it is 6.3 times larger than Jupiter and flies at an average distance of 28 astronomical units. On our scale, it is a little closer than Neptune. Moreover, the orbit of the object is quite elongated.

According to James Webb, it is not possible to say with certainty that there are no other planets in the system. However, the authors of the new study believed that an error had crept into the previous calculations. Therefore, the discovered object was given the name of the so-called exoplanet: Epsilon Indian Ab. An article was published in the journal with an analysis of the observation data and a description of the object. Nature.

The Epsilon Indi system is currently estimated to be between 3.5 and 5.7 billion years old, which is comparable to the age of the solar system. Previously, astronomers had only been able to take pictures of exoplanets that were much younger, mostly less than 100 million years old. The reason is simple: They are hotter, so they are brighter.

Based on reflected light and computer simulations, the planet’s temperature appears to be around 1.85 degrees Celsius (275 Kelvin). However, the radiation spectrum does not fully match the model’s prediction. Perhaps Epsilon Indian Ab’s atmosphere contains a thick layer of clouds or dense fog. It contains a high content of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium.

This is the coldest exoplanet ever captured by direct imagery, with a temperature comparable to that of the coldest brown dwarf (WISE 0855) floating freely in interstellar space.

Thus, the Epsilon Hint system, consisting of a star, an exoplanet and two brown dwarfs, became an even more interesting object for further observations. The authors noted that it could be considered a “laboratory” for the study of objects smaller in size and mass than stars, but formed at the same time and in the same place.

It is necessary to continue observations to clarify the parameters of this cold and mature exoplanet, to better assess its composition and atmospheric behavior. It is also necessary to search for other bodies. Perhaps they will be “caught” in the process of previously planned observations of potential “neighbors” of the two white dwarfs and the closest star systems to the Sun.