Astronomers Get First Direct Observation of a Planet Outside the Solar System

A planet that partially obscured the light from its parent star has provided astronomers with the first direct observation of a planet outside the solar system.

The discovery was made this month by a team headed by the two leaders in the search for extrasolar planets: Geoffrey Marcy, a professor of astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley, and Paul Butler, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Working with Steven S. Vogt,

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