When we discover a brand new exoplanet, we can only imagine what it might look like. But luckily for us, our imagination has some pretty brilliant visual aids. Artists (including our own Ron Miller) have created some droolworthy images of planets outside our solar system. Here are the most gorgeous of them all.
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HD 189733b, a huge blue gas giant with a temperature of over 1000 degrees Celsius and howling 4350 miles-per-hour (7000 kmh) winds, 63 lightyears from us.
(via NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
A planet with two moons and rings by MacRebisz
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(via MacRebisz)
Dawn Over A Distant Planet by Adam Shepherd
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(via Adam Shepherd)
Planet Calderis from Dawn of War II by Zen-Master
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(via Zen-Master)
Shattered, by MacRebisz
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(via MacRebisz)
Space Merged by KennethJensen
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(via KennethJensen)
Pulsar Planet
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(via Blue Fire/NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Planet I'KALX by AshStraker
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(via AshStraker)
Habitable exoplanets discovered by NASA (left to right: Kepler-22b, Kepler-69c, Kepler-62e, Kepler-62f) and Earth.
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(via Industrytap)
The extrasolar planet 81 Ceti b (classified as a Super-Jupiter), 317 lightyears away in the constellation of Cetus. Discovered in July 2008.
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(via Bill Lile)
Around the young star Beta Pictoris, 63 lightyears from Earth
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(via Spaceoffice, image by NASA)
Planets and Moons
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(via Cosmostv)
The extrasolar planet HD 102272 c, 1200 lightyears away in the constellation of Leo, discovered in June 2008.
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(via Bill Lile)
Exoplanet Eclipse
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(via Bill Lile)
A Planet's Passing by KennethJensen
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(via KennethJensen)
DISCUSSION
Although I am super happy with the life I have, sometimes I feel sad that I was born so early in humanity's history, and most likely won't be able to see much of this with my own eyes. I'm sure my kids will at least get to see photographs and video of people in and of far away places like these (or much closer, in the solar system) and hope we can get some high quality images before I'm gone :)