Scientists have discovered a very interesting planetary system in which two planets have been found moving back and forth around their star. Unlike our own solar system, the newfound orbital architecture works in the background, apparently due to a second star in this system.
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The findings were recently published in a paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The system was discovered by a group of researchers led by Maria Hjorth and Simon Albrecht from the Stellar Astrophysics Center, Aarhus University.
The study titled “A star spinning backwards with two coplanar planets” refers to two planets orbiting the star almost in the opposite direction and the star orbiting around its own axis. Note that this is not the first time such a planetary system has been discovered in the universe.
The same thing had been discovered before but none of them had any explanation for their purpose. The rare new case of the K2-290 system, however, differs in the sense that scientists may know what caused a terrible deformation of the planetary orbits.
An unusual case of spinning in front of a star
“Here, we show that the star K2-290 A is inclined by 124 ± 6 degrees compared to the orbits of its two known planets, and that it has a wide stellar companion capable of protruding the protoplanetary disk. bias, ”the study explains.
Co-author Rebekah Dawson of Pennsylvania State University, USA, says, “In any planetary system, the planets are thought to form in a spinning, spherical disk of moving material. around a young star for a few million years after the star itself is born, the so-called protoplanetary disc.The disc and the star usually spin in the same way.However, if there is a neighboring star, perhaps that the gravitational force from the neighboring star will tighten the disc. “
Interestingly, the theory that explains the existence of such a planetary system follows the same laws of physics as a spinning top. As the rotation of a spinning top slows down, its axis begins to rotate in a cone-like manner. This is exactly what happens with the K2-290 system, where the planets are pulled by the gravitational force of another star and thus pulled from a regular protoplanetary disk.
The report by Phys.org explains that the theory was first put forward in 2012. The K2-290 system is the first in which this process was carried out.
(Representative image: NASA)
Teruyuki Hirano from Tokyo Institute of Technology says, “After discovering the K2-290 system, we realized that this system is very suitable for proving this theory, because it not only has orbiting two planets but there are also two stars. So logically, the next step is to study the system in detail, and of course we have hit the jackpot. “
The study has an important impact in astronauts. It proves that astronomers cannot accept the need for alignment between stellar orbit and planetary orbits during the initial conditions in planetary formation. The theory is also about the size of the planet, so it can be applied to planets of any size.
So the next time we find a planet, we can’t be sure if the sun will rise from the east!