NASA finds planet with four suns

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck

Science fiction fans might remember the dual-star sunset of the first Star Wars film, and while that might seem a little exotic, NASA has reported the discovery of a planet in four-star system called 30 Ari, the second such system ever found.

Originally thought to have only three stars, the system’s fourth star was found using made using instruments fitted to telescopes at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego. Incidentally, the first four-star planet was discovered in 2013 by amateur scientists using public NASA data.

Maybe not that uncommon

The most recent finding demonstrates that planets in quadruple star systems might be less uncommon than once assumed. In fact, recent study has revealed that this kind of star system, which often contains two pairs of twin stars gradually circling each other at tremendous distances, is itself more standard than was thought.

[STORY: Curiosity confirms methane in Mars' atmosphere, possibility of life]

“About four percent of solar-type stars are in quadruple systems, which is up from previous estimates because observational techniques are steadily improving,” said Andrei Tokovinin of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, who helped to discover 30 Ari.

Not in the Goldilocks Zone

30 Ari is situated almost 140 light-years away from our own solar system in the constellation Aries. The system’s sole planet is a massive gas giant, with 10 times the mass of Jupiter and whipping around its main star every 335 days. The main star has a fairly close partner star, which the planet doesn’t orbit. This pair, in turn, is in a long-distance orbit with a different pair of stars nearly 1,700 times the distance between Earth and the sun away – or nearly 1,700 astronomical units (AU). Astronomers said it’s highly improbable that this planet, or any moons that may orbit it, could support life.

If you could stand on the surface of this planet, you would see one small sun and two very bright stars that would be obvious in broad daylight. If you looked at one of those stars with a large telescope, you would see that it is a binary system, or two stars orbiting one another.

HD 2638

The new study also described the discovery of a triple-star planetary system called HD 2638. The planet in this system is a hot Jupiter that circles its primary star every three days.

[STORY: Model shows different kind of life on Titan]

“This result strengthens the connection between multiple star systems and massive planets,” Roberts said, referring to HD 2638.

The study researchers noted that two stars appeared to have affected the path of the planet in HD 2638, while the planet in 30 Ari appears to have been influence by only one star. They added that further research will determine the reason for this.

—–

Follow redOrbit on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest.

redOrbit.com
offers Science, Space, Technology, Health news, videos, images and
reference information. For the latest science news, space news,
technology news, health news visit redOrbit.com frequently. Learn
something new every day.”

Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1113347100/nasa-finds-planet-with-four-suns-030515/