Planets are extremely faint light sources compared to stars and what little light comes from them tends to be lost in the glare from their parent star. So in general, it is very difficult to detect them directly. In certain cases, however, current telescopes may be capable of directly imaging planets. Projects to equip the current generation of telescopes with new, planet-imaging-capable instruments are underway at the Gemini telescope (GPI), the...
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Planets are extremely faint light sources compared to stars and what little light comes from them tends to be lost in the glare from their parent star. So in general, it is very difficult to detect them directly. In certain cases, however, current telescopes may be capable of directly imaging planets. Projects to equip the current generation of telescopes with new, planet-imaging-capable instruments are underway at the Gemini telescope (GPI), the VLT (SPHERE), and the Subaru telescope (HiCiao). Specifically, this may be possible when the planet is especially large (considerably larger than Jupiter), widely separated from its parent star, and young (so that it is hot and emits intense infrared radiation).
In July 2004, a group of astronomers used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope array in Chile to produce an image of 2M1207b, a companion to the brown dwarf 2M1207. In December 2005, the planetary status of the companion was confirmed. The planet is believed to be several times more massive than Jupiter and to have an orbital radius greater than 40 AU.
Three other possible exoplanets have now been directly imaged: GQ Lupi b, AB Pictoris b, and SCR 1845 b. As of March 2006 none have been confirmed as planets; instead, they might themselves be small brown dwarfs.
