IIT-Kanpur professor among astronomers to discover 'Super Jupiter' outside our solar system

An artist's rendition of the Jupiter-like planet that was discovered by a team of astronomers, which included an IIT-Kanpur professor | Credit: T. Müller (MPIAHdA)

An Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur professor is among an international team of astronomers to have discovered Epsilon Indi Ab, a giant planet orbiting a nearby star similar to Sun.

Dr Prashant Pathak, assistant professor in the department of space, planetary and astronomical sciences and engineering (SPASE), IIT-Kanpur, is part the team that discovered Epsilon Indi Ab (Eps Ind Ab), also classified as "Super Jupiter" — its mass is more than six times that of Jupiter, making it significantly larger than any planet in our solar system. Jupiter is the largest planet of our solar system.

"This discovery is exciting because it gives us a chance to learn more about planets that are very different from our own," Pathak said. "The planet’s atmosphere appears to have an unusual composition that indicates a high metal content and a different carbon-to-oxygen ratio than we see on our own solar system planets. This opens up fascinating questions about its formation and evolution. "

Eps Ind Ab is the first-ever mature exoplanet (a planet beyond our solar system) to be discovered using direct imaging technique. The details of the discovery and the research behind it has been published in the world's leading multidisciplinary science journal Nature.

Through the James Webb Space Telescope's (JWSTs) Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), the team of astronomers found Epsilon Indi Ab, orbiting the K5V-type star Epsilon Indi A (also known as HD 209100 or HIP 108870).

Direct imaging of a nearby mature exoplanet marks a significant milestone in the realm of space exploration. Unlike indirect methods that infer a planet's existence through its gravitational influence or the dimming of starlight as it passes in front of its host star, direct imaging allows astronomers to directly observe the exoplanet itself.

By studying Eps Ind Ab and other nearby exoplanets, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of planetary formation, atmospheric composition, and the potential for life beyond our solar system," Pathak added.

The discovery is a major milestone in exoplanet research and sets the stage for uncovering the mysteries of planetary systems beyond ours , IIT-Kanpur director Manindra Agrawal said.

"Being able to directly image a planet close to us provides an unprecedented opportunity for in-depth study. Dr. Prashant Pathak’s work in collaboration with international experts highlights the global contributions of IIT-Kanpur in advancing our understanding of space," Agrawal added.