'Second Jupiter' exoplanet spotted 60 light-years away in Virgo

Sometimes, the most exciting discoveries lie far beyond Earth. GJ 504 b, a massive exoplanet orbiting a distant star, has recently become the focus of astronomers’ curiosity.

A Planet Bigger Than Jupiter
GJ 504 b is an exoplanet orbiting the star GJ 504. This planet is estimated to be three to six times heavier than Jupiter. Its size and nature have earned it the nickname “second Jupiter” among some experts. GJ 504 b belongs to a class of exoplanets that are hard to spot directly due to their faint glow. But astronomers are now learning more about its features thanks to a detailed image captured by the SEEDS project.

Located in the Constellation Virgo
This planet orbits a star located in the Virgo constellation. The star lies about 60 light-years from Earth. The distance between GJ 504 b and its star is 44 astronomical units. That’s roughly the same as the distance from our Sun to Pluto. Scientists used a special coronagraph camera to capture the planet. This technique blocks the star’s brightness so fainter objects nearby can be seen.

In the image, exoplanet GJ 504 b appears as a bright dot in the top right, positioned far from its star, GJ 504, shown as the large black dot at the centre. (Image: HiCIAO (High Contrast Instrument for the Subaru Next Generation Adaptive Optics/ AO188/NAOJ)