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Name:
psr b1620-26 b
psr b1620-26 b
Method of detection:
Pulsar timing
Pulsar timing
Location:
Constellation of Scorpius
Constellation of Scorpius
Distance from Earth:
12,400 light-years
12,400 light-years
Planet type:
Gas giant
Gas giant
Star type:
Binary star: primary star (PSR B1620-26 A) is a pulsar; secondary star (WD B1620-26) is a white dwarf
Binary star: primary star (PSR B1620-26 A) is a pulsar; secondary star (WD B1620-26) is a white dwarf
name: psr b 1620-26 b
This is the oldest Known Exoplanet. It is over 12 billion years old. When our sun ignited some 5 billion years ago, this planet had already existed for more than 7 billion years. Is it any wonder it’s nicknamed the Methuselah planet? At a distance from Earth of more than 12,000 light-years, it is doubtful that human eyes will ever see its pulsar sun illuminating the nighttime cloud tops of this gas giant. Glistening in the softly lit sky, a myriad of stars from the globular cluster Messier 4 rise and set. Methuselah’s binary star system and its proximity to a globular cluster may result in a tragic fate for this elder of planets. The system’s slow drift toward the core of the cluster may result in a close encounter with a nearby star. The outcome: Methuselah will likely be ejected from the system, doomed to wander alone in interstellar space.
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