2M1207b is a planetary-mass object that orbits the brown dwarf 2M1207 in the constellation Hydra, in the young TW Hydrae association of stars, about 170 light-years away. It was found with the Very Large Telescope in Chile, and its mass is estimated to be several times that of Jupiter. It was widely reported as the first exoplanet to be directly imaged, though it is not a planet in the usual sense, since it orbits a failed star rather than a normal one, and astronomers debate whether it should be called a planet or a small brown dwarf. It is also very hot and far from its parent. The discovery showed that such faint companions could be photographed.
Before and after
- 7 September 2004Founding of Wikimedia Commons
- 14 September 2004Release of Wikispecies
- from 22 September 2004 to 23 May 2010Premiere of Lost
- October 2004Discovery of 55 Cancri e
- October 2004Discovery of 2M1207b
- from 3 October 2004 to 13 May 2012Premiere of Desperate Housewives
- 20 October 2004Creation of Ubuntu
- 21 October 2004Discovery of Polydeuces
- 25 October 2004South Thailand insurgency
More in Universe & space
- 16 February 1948Discovery of Miranda
- 5 September 1977Launch of Voyager 1
- 4 March 1979Discovery of Metis
- 5 March 1979Discovery of Thebe
- 8 July 1979Discovery of Adrastea
- 25 December 2021Launch of James Webb Space Telescope
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.