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n the African savanna, a tiny
telescope with owl-like eyes
peers at the heavens. Amid
Antarctic ice, a larger instru-
ment stares at the same slice
of sky. The two are part of an international
hunt to discover the first moon beyond the
solar system.
In 2017, a slew of telescopes turned their
eyes toward Beta Pictoris, a modest star in
the southern sky just 6° from brilliant
Canopus. More specifically, astronomers are
scrutinizing Beta Pictoris b, one of the few
exoworlds discovered through imaging. The
star’s massive planet barely avoids passing
directly between its sun and our planet from
April 2017 to January 2018. The near miss
opens up a rare opportunity to study any
material surrounding the planet, which could
boast rings visible from Earth. With a little
luck, it may also reveal an exomoon, a plan-
etary satellite beyond the solar system.Astronomers are hunting for possible moons and
rings around the gas giant planet Beta Pictoris b.
Beta Pic itself, enveloped in a dusty disk, lurks in
the background. RON MILLER FOR ASTRONOMY