Scientists discover bizarre planetary system unlike anything in our solar system
Astronomers have identified a unique planetary system 71 light-years away featuring a red dwarf, a brown dwarf, and a massive Jupiter-sized object. The discovery challenges existing terminology, as the object does not fit the traditional definition of a moon or planet.
Why it matters
This discovery expands our understanding of celestial mechanics and forces scientists to refine the classification systems used in astrophysics.
An artist’s impression shows the system around the star CD-35 2722, with the newly found moon-like object at the centre. | Photo Credit: ESO/M. KORNMESSER
Scientists are documenting a planetary system in the Milky Way galaxy that is so starkly dissimilar to our own solar system that they are struggling to find the proper terminology to describe it.
The system includes a red dwarf star about 40% of the mass of our sun that is orbited by a brown dwarf, a celestial body that blurs the line between planet and star. The brown dwarf, in turn, is orbited by a gaseous Jupiter-sized world, newly discovered using the European Southern Observatory's Chile-based Very Large Telescope.
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