Astronomers at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics believe significant dips in X-ray emissions from a spot in the Whirlpool Galaxy are caused by a Saturn-sized planet orbiting its star at several times the distance between Earth and the sun.
While exoplanets -- the technical name for planets outside of our solar system -- have been found throughout the Milky Way, the new body, dubbed M51-ULS-1b, is the first strong evidence of a planet outside our home galaxy. Its distance from its primary and the specialized measurements used to locate it mean that the astronomers aren't likely to ever be able to confirm M51-ULS-1b is an actual planet, although they are pretty certain it is.
The Whirlpool Galaxy is 31 million light years from us, which means that the X-rays and other sources studied which suggest there is a planet actually began their journey to Earth during the Oligocene Period, 31 million years ago. On Earth, that era saw early versions of horses, and the ancestors of modern dogs and cats. Primates of the time retreated from what is today Europe to concentrate in the area that would become Africa.
Of course, I would be remiss if I did not point out that the evidence which today suggests M51-ULS-1b exists happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
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