Astronomers in the Strategic Explorations of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru (SEEDS) Project have recently discovered and captured an image of the least massive planet ever imaged so far--a so-called “second Jupiter” (Figure). This discovery marks an important step toward the direct imaging of much fainter Earth-like planets in the future and may lead to new models of planet formation. It also illustrates the important role that the SEEDS Project plays in observational astronomy.

The scientific paper on which this article is based will appear in the Astrophysical Journal.
(Kuzuhara et al. 2013, “Direct Imaging of a Cold Jovian Exoplanet in Orbit around the Sun-like Star GJ 504”, The Astrophysical Journal, in press)

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• Subaru Telescope’s Imaging Discovery of a Second Jupiter Shows the Power and Significance of the SEEDS Project