Fomalhaut b was announced in late 2008 after astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope, led by Paul Kalas, reported a faint point of light orbiting the bright star Fomalhaut, about 25 light-years away. It was seen close to the inner edge of the star's wide dusty debris ring and appeared to move in the way a planet would, which made it one of the first exoplanet candidates to be imaged in visible light. Later observations raised doubts: the object was too bright in visible light and not detected in infrared, and it seemed to be on an orbit that would carry it through the ring. Many researchers now think it is an expanding cloud of dust from a collision between two bodies rather than a planet.
Before and after
- October 2008Construction of Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower
- 22 October 2008Launch of Chandrayaan-1
- 22 October 2008Founding of Google Play
- 4 November 20082008 United States presidential election
- 13 November 2008Discovery of Fomalhaut b
- 26 November 200826/11 Mumbai attacks
- from 29 November 2008 to 19 December 2015Premiere of The Penguins of Madagascar
- 4 December 2008Publication of The Tales of Beedle the Bard
- from 27 December 2008 to 18 January 2009Gaza War (2008–2009)
More in Universe & space
- 4 October 1957Launch of Sputnik 1
- 22 October 1969Discovery of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
- 14 September 1974Discovery of Leda
- 22 August 1981Discovery of Pan
- 19 January 2006Launch of New Horizons
- 26 June 2012Discovery of Styx
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.