STARLIGHT REFLECTED FROM AN EXTRASOLAR PLANET has been reported by University of St. Andrews astronomers. Roughly 30 planets have been detected around nearby stars through an indirect method which monitors fluctuations in the stars' positions. More recently the shadow of an extrasolar planet was observed to transit across the face of its star (Update 458). Now light has been detected which apparently comes to us directly from a planet circling the star tau Bootis, some 50 light years away. The main difficulty was of course discerning the reflected light while blocking out the glare of the star itself. The planet seems to be blue-green in color, is twice the size of Jupiter, and 8 times as massive. (Cameron et al., Nature, 16 December 1999.)