The researchers were able to detect two planets that are in the same orbit. This happened for the first time in the history of observations.
What is known
Scientists have long believed that two planets can be located in the same orbit in a star-planet gravitational system. However, they have never seen this in reality. Everything has changed recently, and now the researchers are waiting for their version to be confirmed.
To begin with, we note that in the star-planet system there are five points where a third body can be located and be in balance with the other two. Point L3 is located on the opposite side of the orbit with the star, and L4 and L5 are in the orbit of the planet. Points L1 and L2 are at a distance from the planet’s orbit.
There are Trojan asteroids in the orbit of Jupiter at points L4 and L5. For this reason, the planets that are located at these points are called Trojan exoplanets. One of these was discovered using the ALMA radio telescope.
The Trojan exoplanet could be located in the PDS-70 star system, which is only 370 years from Earth. So far, scientists have only seen a low-luminosity object at L5. It is expected that in 2026 a more detailed study of the PDS-70 system will be carried out, which will be able to confirm the assumption of specialists.
Source: Science Alert
