Astronomers may have found the first exomoon
Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope have identified a potential exomoon orbiting a brown dwarf in the CD-35 2722 system. This discovery challenges current definitions of planetary systems, as the object is massive enough to be a planet but orbits a non-stellar companion.
Why it matters
Confirming the first exomoon would significantly advance our understanding of planetary formation and the diversity of celestial bodies in the universe.
Observations made with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) have revealed evidence for a moon-like object in the CD-35 2722 system. Unlike moons in our Solar System, the newly found object does not orbit a planet, raising questions about what to name it. Instead, it circles a brown dwarf, an object larger than a planet, that orbits the CD-35 2722 star. If confirmed, this could be the first ‘moon’ discovered outside our Solar System.
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