Post by Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

Why the gas giant Beta Pictoris b is keeping its secrets 🌌 How do we determine the birthplace of a planet located 63 light-years away? For a long time, astronomers believed that carbon isotope ratios (12CO/13CO) were a reliable tracer for pinpointing whether a gas giant formed close to its star or in the icy outer reaches of its system. However, a new study led by Antonia von Stauffenberg and her team at #MPIA, in close collaboration with the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA) and the #GRAVITY+ consortium, suggests we might need to rethink this diagnostic tool. Using the upgraded GRAVITY+ instrument at the ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, the team achieved unprecedented precision. The Key Findings: - A "Standard" Ratio: The team measured a 12CO/13CO ratio of approximately 91, which is remarkably similar to our own solar system and the interstellar medium. - Doubt on Diagnostic Tools: This consistency suggests that carbon isotopes may not be the reliable indicator of origin we once hoped for, as differences during formation might be too small to detect. - Weather on a Distant World? Despite the mystery of its birth, GRAVITY+ provided a bonus: tentative signs of atmospheric variability (~1.4%) linked to the planet’s 8.7-hour rotation—a potential hint of clouds or complex chemical processes. This research highlights the incredible technical achievement of the GRAVITY+ instrument installed at the #VLTI, operated by European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the ongoing challenge of deciphering the history of exoplanets. 📊 Read the full story and dive into the data here: https://lnkd.in/eua8VEcM #Astronomy #Exoplanets #MPIA #OCA #GRAVITYPlus #BetaPictoris #ScienceNews