Spectacular Globular Cluster Found Harboring a 13-Billion-Year-Old Planet (Weekend Feature)

 

        

 

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the center of globular cluster M 4. The power of Hubble has resolved the cluster into a multitude of glowing orbs, each a colossal nuclear furnace.  M 4 is relatively close to us, lying 7200 light-years distant, making it a prime object for study. It contains several tens of thousands stars and is noteworthy in being home to many white dwarfs—the cores of ancient, dying stars whose outer layers have drifted away into space.

In July 2003, Hubble helped make the astounding discovery of a planet called PSR B1620-26 b, 2.5 times the mass of Jupiter, which is located in this cluster. Its age is estimated to be around 13 billion years—almost three times as old as the Solar System! It is also unusual in that it orbits a binary system of a white dwarf and a pulsar (a type of neutron star).

The Daily Galaxy via NASA

Comments

[vortex]

This is actually quite staggering.

[Martyn]

yep you're right there. would love to go and see. :-)

[Cullen]

The most amazing thing is that we do not think life as we know it could survive there, I'll give you that... But at the same time it would be arguably naive to say that, "life in general couldn't have evolved here after 13 billion!! years". Anyone who does believe life is not possible really does not understand time... And anyone who says there are no aliens out there does not appreciate/understand space and time. The more we look, the more astounded we are about where life can survive/thrive... I really do not understand any modern religion... Its only because I appreciate time and space in our universe and no "modern" religion can.

[Ruth Mc]

Wow, if life were possible on a moon orbiting this planet, I wouldn't mind having a look at the night sky...if it ever goes dark that is

[preston]

An Ancient religion that began as Ancient Science and is recorded in the Vedas tells all about Time and Space. In the Drama of Lord Jaganatha , a King from Earth flies to Satayaloka and when he returns to Earth everything has changed and aged what was but a short span -a few years at most was over 300 years on Earth ~~~He realizes it's due to Time Dilation . The Vedas also speak of the millions of life forms the permeate and populate the Omniverse in both the Material and Anti-Material Skies.

[Q]

Woo...

[Francisco]

I' am completely amazed by the Picture, also I' am amazed at some peoples unwillingness to see the same picture as the Work of God. Such attitude that will not allow then to see one other reality, In which everything real becomes non real, and everything invisible becomes visible and clear, at which point we all could realize that God our creator, its't from this World, and that our World has gone through many changes to great where we are today, as well that God created this world for Humans to experience a physical entity, in the material World, and not just for man to destroy it.

[John]

When man was just starting to crawl out of the caves there were many things that he didn't understand. He created God to explain these crazy things like weather and natural disasters like earthquakes. Man created god in his own image not the other way around. To continue to believe in mystical beings in the sky is extremely narrow minded. Now there may have been visitations from other worlds to explain some of the God myths but those are very rare and unlikely. Wake up from the God delusion, the truth is out there somewhere.

[Felix9]

Perhaps I am being too skeptical but I can't help but wonder how this is possible.

The universe is theorized to be about 13.75 billion years old. This could possibly be one of the oldest possible planets couldn't it? What is it doing in a galaxy only 7200 light years from us?