SOFIA Confirms Nearby Planetary System is Similar to Our Own
Date
Artist's illustration of the Epsilon Eridani system showing Epsilon Eridani b, right foreground, a Jupiter-mass planet orbiting its parent star at the outside edge of an asteroid belt. In the background can be seen another narrow asteroid or comet belt plus an outermost belt similar in size to our solar system's Kuiper Belt. The similarity of the structure of the Epsilon Eridani system to our solar system is remarkable, although Epsilon Eridani is much younger than our sun. SOFIA observations confirmed the existence of the asteroid belt adjacent to the orbit of the Jovian planet.
Credit
NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook
Image Number
SCI2017_0004
Additional Information
SOFIA Confirms Nearby Planetary System is Similar to Our Own
Principal Investigator
Kate Su
Instrument
FORCAST
Location
United States
More Information
