Photographing the First Exoplanet

An artist's rendition of the Jupiter-sized planet orbiting the star Epsilon Eridani.

Image: Nasa

A planet about 1.5 times the size of Jupiter is the closest planet outside our solar system. It orbits the young star Epsilon Eridani in a solar system only 10.5 light years away. Scientists hope the planet is close enough to be photographed by Hubble and other telescopes in 2007 when it closes in on its star. Fritz Benedict of the University of Texas believes the planet potentially may have moons with environments hospitable for life.

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