NASA's Hubble Reveals Fomalhaut B's Lengthy 2,000 Year Orbit Around Its Star
Posted on January 9, 2013
The Hubble Space Telescope took the false-color composite image above, which reveals the orbital motion of the planet Fomalhaut b. Astronomers say it takes 2,000 years for Fomalhaut b to orbit around its star, Fomalhaut.
Astronomers say the planet takes an unusual elliptical orbit that carries it on a potentially destructive path. NASA says in a release that Fomalhaut b will appear to cross a vast belt of debris around the star about 20 years from now. This could result in collisions with icy and rocky debris in the belt.
The Fomalhaut research team is led by Paul Kalas of the University of California at Berkeley and the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif. One hypothesis for the planet's 2,000-year-long orbit is that another planet in the system "gravitationally ejected Fomalhaut b from a position closer to the star, and sent it flying in an orbit that extends beyond the dust belt." Another theory is that a "second dwarf planet suffered a catastrophic collision with Fomalhaut b."