Researchers at Berkeley, and Caltech have used the Hubble's images to finally detect the presence of extrasolar planets directly though imaging.
The discovery was made about the star Formalhaut in Pisces. The new planet candidate designated Formalhaut B was time an extrsolar planet had been observed directly
(top) Location of planet around Formalhaut,(above) Inset Enlarged
Approximately 15% of nearby stars are surrounded by smaller bodies that produce copious amounts of fine dust via collisional erosion. These “dusty debris disks” are analogues to our Kuiper Belt, and can be imaged directly through the starlight they reflect or thermal emission from their dust grains. Debris disks may be gravitationally sculpted by more massive objects;
Image shows relative motion of Formalhaut B over time
Dust clouds around Formalhaut were first photographed in 2004 using the Hubble's coronagraph apparatus. In early 2008, interferometry using the Keck scopes in Hawaii were able to directly confirm Formalhaut b as an object displaying Keplerian motion about the main star.
The planet is estimated to be three times massive as Jupiter
Ref: Kalas, Paul; et al. (2008). "Optical Images of an Exosolar Planet 25 Light-Years from Earth". Science 322 (5906): 1345–1348
