“Extraordinary and exciting”: exoplanet in vertical orbit around a pair of stars
We are already familiar with exoplanets orbiting two stars. But 2M1510 (AB) b is a novelty: its orbit is perpendicular to that of its stars.
Artistic representation of the orbits, blue the brown dwarf stars, orange the exoplanet
(Image: ESO/L. Calçada)
Using instruments from the European Southern Observatory (ESO), a research group has discovered an exoplanet orbiting two stars at an angle of 90 degrees for the first time. The ESO has now made this public and added that both stars are also two so-called brown dwarf stars – celestial bodies that are neither real stars nor real planets. The fact that the first exoplanet in a polar orbit is now orbiting such a pair of stars is “quite extraordinary and exciting”, says Amaury Triaud from the University of Birmingham. He was involved in the discovery.
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A chance discovery that fits the theories
The so far unique exoplanet is called 2M1510 (AB) b. It was found when the research team took a closer look at the properties of the two brown dwarfs. They noticed that their orbits were “shifted and stretched in an unusual way”. All possible causes have been examined, and the only one that matches the data is an exoplanet in the polar orbit. This has not yet been directly detected. The ESO also points out that there is another star orbiting the system, but this is not a possible cause. The team also explains that exoplanets are already known to orbit two stars at the same time, but usually in the same plane.
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The ESO adds that so far there have only been indications that exoplanets can also orbit such a pair of stars perpendicularly. Planet-forming dust disks have also already been found in such an orientation. It has already been calculated that such an orbit can be stable. Nevertheless, the discovery is a first and ultimately convincing proof that such a planetary configuration is actually possible. Nevertheless, it is a chance discovery that once again shows “what is possible in the fascinating universe in which we live”, says Triaud. The discovery is presented in an article in the science magazine Science Advances.
(mho)
