Aster › Space program › Beta Pictoris b
Beta Pictoris b
Position on the route: 107/130 · level needed 1500 · journey (Mk0 engine) 357.2 h
By the numbers
| Distance | ≈ 63 light-years |
|---|---|
| Mass | ≈ 11–12 Jupiter |
| Year | ≈ 22 years |
| Age | ≈ 20 million years |
The story
Beta Pictoris is a young A-type star at the heart of a huge disc of dust and debris; in 1984 that disc was the first planet-forming disc imaged edge-on. In 2008 a planet imaged directly inside the disc was found: Beta Pictoris b, about 11–12 Jupiter masses, 9 AU from its star, circling in 22 years.
In 2014 its spin was measured: about 25 km/s at the equator, a day of only 8 hours; faster than any planet in the Solar System. A second planet in the disc, Beta Pictoris c, was found in 2019.
Missions
- VLT NACO and SPHERE: the direct images
- Gemini Planet Imager: orbit tracking
- JWST: the atmosphere
Colony note
A gas giant: no surface. An orbital station, Mk3 shield. Orrun territory.
☠ A young gas giant eleven times Jupiter’s mass: no surface. An orbital station only.
What probes bring back
- Imaged directly in 2008: ≈ 11–12 Jupiter masses, about 9 AU from its star, circling every 22 years.
- Its spin was measured (2014): about 25 km/s at the equator, a day of about 8 hours; faster than any planet in the Solar System.