No, this isn't political news. But it is one of the most significant scientific findings of the age. Two different astronomers have, for the first time, been able to take a picture of alien planets circling a distant star: Astronomers have taken what they say are the first-ever direct images of planets outside of our solar system, including a visible-light snapshot of a single-planet system and an infrared picture of a multiple-planet system. Earth-like worlds might also exist in the three-planet system, but if so they are too dim to photograph. The other newfound planet orbits a star called Fomalhaut, which is visible without the aid of a telescope. It is the 18th brightest star in the sky. The massive worlds, each much heftier than Jupiter (at least for the three-planet system), could change how astronomers define the term "planet," one planet-hunter said.Previously, the 300 or so planets discovered have been found using a clever technique involving almost...(Read Full Post)