[NTD News, Beijing time, December 04, 2023]Astronomers have discovered a rare solar system in which six planets move completely synchronously, as if they have not been affected by any external force since their birth billions of years ago.
On November 29, it was announced that the newly discovered solar system is located in the constellation Coma Berenices of the Milky Way, 100 light-years away from the Earth. One light year is 5.88 trillion miles.
The solar system was discovered by two planet-hunting satellites, NASA’s Tess and ESA’s Cheops, who teamed up to make observations. .
The star, HD 110067, may host more planets. The six planets discovered so far are about two to three times the size of Earth but have a density closer to the gas giants in the solar system. Their orbital periods range from 9 to 54 days, which puts them closer to their star than Venus is to the Sun, so they are very hot.
The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature. What makes this solar system unique, as scientists describe it, is that its six planets orbit the starting point like a perfect symphony.
In technical terms, it’s “precise and very orderly,” said study co-author Enric Palle of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands. resonance.
For every three orbits of the innermost planet, the second-closest planet orbits its star twice. The same goes for the second and third closest planets and the third and fourth closest planets. (Click here to view related images.)
The orbital periods of the two outermost planets are 41 days and 54.7 days respectively. For every time the outermost planet completes one orbit, the innermost planet completes six orbits. (Click here to view related images.)
Parler said that while astronomers know of 40 to 50 synchronous solar systems, none has as many planets so perfectly coordinated as this one.
Hugh Osborn of the University of Bern is part of the team. He said he was “shocked and delighted” when he discovered that the orbital period of the star system’s planets was close to what scientists had predicted.
“My jaw almost hit the floor,” he said. “It was such a beautiful moment.”
(This article refers to relevant reports from the Associated Press.)
(Reprinted from The Epoch Times/Editor: Ye Ping)
