Are We Alone? Photo Shows Possible New Planet 1,200 Light Years from Earth

The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) captured images of a dot just to the left of the star CVSO 30. The dot has been given the name CVSO 30c. Another potential planet, called CVSO 30b, was discovered in the same area in 2012. The VLT consists of four individual telescopes using mirrors some 27 feet in diameter.

ESO researchers said in a description of the photo, "If it is confirmed that CVSO 30c orbits CVSO 30, this would be the first star system to host both a close-in exoplanet detected by the transit method and a far-out exoplanet detected by direct imaging." 

They added, "Astronomers are still exploring how such an exotic system came to form in such a short timeframe, as the star is only 2.5 million years old; it is possible that the two planets interacted at some point in the past, scattering off one another and settling in their current extreme orbits." 

Having a photograph of CVSO 30c is notable, as the star it’s closest to is almost 300 times further away from Earth than our nearest stellar neighbor, Alpha Centauri. 

1 light year is roughly 5.9 trillion miles, making the new discovery about 7 quadrillion miles away, in the direction of the Orion constellation. Further observation and analysis has to take place before CVSO 30c can be officially considered a planet, but if it is, that would mean it circles CVSO 30 at a distance of 660 astronomical units, making one complete orbit every 27,000 years.