Arecibo Observatory's Greatest Triumphs

The First Extrasolar Planets Ever Discovered

Artist’s impression of the first exoplanet ever discovered, which happens to orbit a pulsar. Illustration: NASA/JPL-Caltech

In 1992, astronomer Aleksander Wolszczan used the Arecibo telescope to spot three exoplanets around a pulsar named PSR B1257+12. These were the first planets ever discovered outside of our solar system, and a big step forward in our understanding of the cosmos.

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$A bright, greenish coma and a tail are shown in this three-minute exposure taken using a 6″ Takahashi refractor located in New Mexico. At the time of this image, comet Lovejoy was 40 million miles from Earth and 88 million miles from the sun.$

The First Extrasolar Planets Ever Discovered

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