This diagram shows the orbit of the exoplanet Fomalhaut b as calculated from recent Hubble Space Telescope observations. The planet follows a highly elliptical orbit that carries it across a wide belt of debris encircling the bright star Fomalhaut. The planet swings as close to its star as 4.6 billion miles, and the outermost point of its orbit is 27 billion miles away from the star. The orbital period is approximately 2,000 years.
Credits
Illustration: NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI);Science: NASA, ESA, and P. Kalas (University of California, Berkeley)
