This illustration shows the planet KOI-5Ab transiting across the face of a Sun-like star, which is part of a triple-star system located 1,800 light-years away in the Cygnus constellation.
((NASA/Caltech/R. Hurt Infrared Processing and Analysis Centre)Our universe is full of mysteries! Having observed our own solar system and the ones located nearby (in cosmic terms), we do know that celestial objects revolve around the largest body in their proximity, usually in the same plane. While planets orbiting a single star, as is the case with our solar system, is a familiar concept, there do exist interesting anomalies.
A team of astronomers has recently discovered one such bizarre exoplanet (planet outside our solar system) with not one, not two, but three companion stars! The research, led by scientists from NASA’s Exoplanet Science Institute, has estimated that this system is located about 1,800 light-years away from us. Its discovery was recently announced at the 237th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
The KOI-5Ab
This exoplanet, named KOI-5Ab, was first confirmed a decade ago through the help of NASA’s Kepler mission—the planet-hunting space telescope. Interestingly, this exoplanet was the second to be spotted by the mission way back in 2009, but was hardly given much attention by the astronomers.
David Ciardi, chief scientist of NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute, said: “KOI-5Ab got abandoned because it was complicated, and we had thousands of candidates. There were easier pickings than KOI-5Ab, and we were learning something new from Kepler every day, so that KOI-5 was mostly forgotten.”
Using the groundbreaking technology of the Kepler space telescope, astronomers have discovered about 4,300 exoplanets so far, of which less than 10% belong to a multi-star system. Therefore, not much is known about the cosmic worlds bigger than one-star systems.
But recently, scientists once again began work on this forgotten planet, which they call ‘resurrected KOI-5Ab from the dead.’ The study of the star system gained pace through Kepler’s successor mission named Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and a number of ground-based telescopes, which includes Palomar Observatory, the WM Keck Observatory, and the Gemini North telescope.
Through extensive research using both new and old data, exoplanet hunters confirmed the presence of three stars named KOI-5A, KOI-5B and KOI-5C. It forms a triple star system known as KOI-5 based in the Cygnus constellation.
The planet’s skewed orbit
The KOI-5 star system consists of three stars, labeled A, B, and C, in this diagram. Stars A and B orbit each other every 30 years. Star C orbits stars A and B every 400 years.
(Caltech/R. Hurt (Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, or IPAC)The planet was identified as a gas giant at least seven times the size of Earth—almost as big as Jupiter or Saturn. It only orbits the star KOI-5A, with the entire revolution taking merely five days.
The two stars KOI-5A and KOI-5B have an orbital period of 30 years, whereas the third star KOI-5C is at a larger distance compared to the other two, and has an orbital period of around 400 years. This means that Star A and B orbit each other at a time period of 30 years, while the third Star C, still gravitationally bound, orbits the other two stars every 400 years. Experts believe that this misaligned arrangement in a skewed orbit makes the four celestial objects appear in different planes.
“We don’t know of many planets that exist in triple-star systems, and this one is extra special because its orbit is skewed,” said Dr Ciardi.
The researchers have hypothesised that KOI-5B could have gravitationally pushed the position of the exoplanet's orbit. This resulted in the planet being kicked out from its alignment and pushed it inward while it was still at its nascent stage.
"We still have a lot of questions about how and when planets can form in multiple-star systems and how their properties compared to planets in single-star systems. By studying this system in greater detail, perhaps we can gain insight into how the Universe makes planets," Dr Ciardi added.
Prior to this finding, some other triple-star systems were also discovered by astronomers. One such example is the GW Orionis, which showcases that the exoplanets can form and orbit in different planes. In July 2019, an exoplanet named LTT 1445Ab was also spotted to orbit one of the three suns.
**
For weather, space science, and COVID-19 updates on the go, download The Weather Channel App (on Android and iOS store). It's free!
https://weather.com/en-IN/india/space/news/2021-01-20-astronomers-spot-system-with-three-suns-and-one-planet
2021-01-20 11:36:25Z
CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd2VhdGhlci5jb20vZW4tSU4vaW5kaWEvc3BhY2UvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTAxLTIwLWFzdHJvbm9tZXJzLXNwb3Qtc3lzdGVtLXdpdGgtdGhyZWUtc3Vucy1hbmQtb25lLXBsYW5ldNIBAA
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Astronomers Spot Bizarre Cosmic System with Three Suns and One Planet Revolving in Skewed Orbit | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com - The Weather Channel"
Post a Comment