Solar Sister Sighting

Using a new Hawaii-based telescope, a team of scientists has directly observed an object--which could be a planet or dead star--orbiting another star similar to our own Sun.  The discovery of the planet-like object is groundbreaking because it is a direct observation, and the body has a smaller orbit around it's star than other discovered planet-like objects.  Scientists were able to use new technology to block the glare of the star which the body is orbiting, revealing it's presence.  The discovery is an important technological achievement, and is a step towards finding other Earth-like planets, and possibly eventually extra-terrestrial life.

Photo Credit: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy/National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)