Astronomers find rare 6 planets solar system orbiting star-like sun 100 light years away
astronomers have discovered a group of six planets revolving around a sun-like star in sync. The star system is estimated to be billions of years old and is in the Coma Berenice constellation.
According to research that was published in the journal Nature, the discovery of the new planets may help to comprehend how the heavenly bodies were formed and why many of them are of the size between Earth and Neptune.
According to Rafael Luque, an astronomer at the University of Chicago, “This discovery is going to become a benchmark system to study how sub-Neptunes… form, evolve, what are they made of".
The international team on the study, led by Rafael Luque, believed that since the formation of the system billions of years ago, these six planets orbiting HD110067 have been miraculously carrying out this same rhythmic dance.
The discovery of the star system
The team had used NASA’s TESS and the European Space Agency’s Cheops, for their observations.
It may be mentioned that, in 2020, TESS noticed reductions in the brightness of HD110067, a star that suggested planets were passing in front of its surface. Curiosity prompted scientists to examine data from TESS and Cheops, where they found what they claim is a unique planetary configuration.
Nature and composition of the planet
Not much is known about the composition of the planets or their atmospheres. But these planets are gaseous and extremely hot as they are very close to their host star.
Though it's very unlikely that planets outside of the so-called habitable zone could support life, additional data could reveal whether or not these planets have the conditions required for liquid water to exist on their surfaces, Luque observed.
Astronomers would be able to unravel
