Astronomers announce Young Jupiter like planet found , just 20 million years old

Astronomers have announced the discovery of the most Jupiter like planet yet to be found , 51 Eridani b is about 100 light years from Earth and the scientists say its atmospheric methane signature is the strongest they've ever detected on an alien planet.
The planets parent star 51 Eri is believed to have been formed just 40 million years after the dinosaurs became extinct here on Earth.

Directly imaging exoplanets provides more than just photographs. The wavelengths of light a planet gives off can reveal a great deal of its secrets, such as its chemical composition. The researchers found that 51 Eri b's atmosphere is dominated by methane, much like Jupiter's.

"In the atmospheres of the cold-giant planets of our solar system, carbon is found as methane, unlike most exoplanets, where carbon has mostly been found in the form of carbon monoxide," study co-author Mark Marley, an astrophysicist at NASA Ames Research Center, said in a statement. "Since the atmosphere of 51 Eri b is also methane rich, it signifies that this planet is well on its way to becoming a cousin of our own familiar Jupiter."

The researchers suggest that 51 Eri b, as a sort of young Jupiter, might be forming much like giant planets did in the solar system, as opposed to the manner in which researchers suspect radically different worlds such as hot Jupiters formed elsewhere in the universe.
www.space.com...

Every solar system needs a Jupiter.

Just a shame we'll never live to see confirmation of this.

I've once read that Jupiter like planets could have turned into stars but didn't make it to become one..? If thats true then many stars could have a Jupiter like planets .

a reply to: 0bserver1

Its something about gravity and size, couldnt remember.

I'm surprised the headline didn't include, "MAJOR NEWS!!!" I don't see why we should care... About Jupiter like planets, or Earth like planets that we'll never be able to reach... We need to divert all money spent on stuff like this to developing methods of interspace transportation before we need to worry about these things... Or use the telescopes used for these things for detecting Earth-threatening stuff... (Not that we need to look further than in the mirror... I don't mean global warming. I mean nuclear and toxic stuff.) No offense intended to poster. It's not you...

(Like I do often, I'll add, "I could be WAY off-base," but if that's the case, tell me why, please...)

a reply to: japhrimu

This discovery is important because it's so early in the planets life and it's the first planet to so closely echo a planet in our own solar system., that's important because our Jupiter has positive effect for life here on Earth in that it can deflect some space rocks heading our way , we also know there is life here so if we can find a solar system that echos our own the chance for life must be there.

Searching for other planets is important to the survival of our species , at some time in the future we will need to leave this planet and the work being done today will helps us in the future.