Chandra Spots Possible Extragalactic Planet in Messier 51

Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have detected an extragalactic candidate planet circling a binary system in Messier 51 (also known as M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy and NGC 5194), an interacting grand design spiral galaxy located some 26 million light-years away in the constellation of Canes Venatici.

Using X-ray data from Chandra, the astronomers searched for possible planet transits in XRSs in three galaxies: Messier 51, Messier 101 and Messier 104.

They identified a single transit candidate in M51-ULS-1, one of the brightest XRSs known in Messier 51.

This X-ray source is between 100,000 and one million times brighter in X-ray emission than is the Sun at all wavelengths combined.

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Image credit: Di Stefano et al., arXiv: 2009.08987.

This Chandra/ACIS-S image shows XRSs (colored points) in Messier 51; M51-ULS-1 is the orange source in the center of the blue box; diffuse emission is from hot gas.

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A Tour of M51

Like the Milky Way, the Whirlpool is a spiral galaxy with spectacular arms of stars and dust.