Chris Lintott’s Universe

Seeing the first images of extrasolar planets around a star is a stunning moment. I found out about this earlier in the week, and have had to keep quiet (along with all the other journalists) until the embargo passed, but feast your eyes on this.

Credit : Keck Observatory

The speckle pattern is what’s left of the star’s light – most of it has been blocked to allow us to see the three, faint dots which are believed to be planets. The arrows show the direction of motion, which brings me to my main point. Imagine this : in a decade or so, someone is going to take another snapshot of the same system. We’ll actually be able to watch planets circle their parent star. It’s a mindblowing thought – as fundamental, if you’ll forgive the late night hyperbole, as Galileo’s observations of Jupiter’s moons.

Over the last year or so, the denziens of the Galaxy Zoo forum have been getting together to talk astronomy over a beer or two. This seems like a splendid idea, so if you’re free on Sunday 23rd November and in – or can get to – central London, then please join me and the indomitable Pamela Gay, host of the wildly successful Astronomy Cast.

We’ll be in Mabel’s Tavern in Bloomsbury, not a million miles from my old stomping ground of UCL between 2 and 5pm.