Image: Kappa Andromeda Star Chart

Description: This chart locates the star Kappa Andromedae, which is visible to the unaided eye from suburban skies. Kappa And b orbits its star at a projected distance of 55 times Earth's average distance from the sun and about 1.8 times as far as Neptune; the actual distance depends on how the system is oriented to our line of sight, which is not precisely known. The object has a temperature of about 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit (1,400 Celsius) and would appear bright red if seen up close by the human eye. Carson's team detected the object in independent observations at four different infrared wavelengths in January and July of this year. Comparing the two images taken half a year apart showed that Kappa And b exhibits the same motion across the sky as its host star, which proves that the two objects are gravitationally bound and traveling together through space. Comparing the brightness of the super-Jupiter between different wavelengths revealed infrared colors similar to those observed in the handful of other gas giant planets successfully imaged around stars.
Title: Kappa Andromeda Star Chart
Credit: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/super-jupiter.html
Author: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/DSS
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No