A solar system of six perfectly synchronized planets has been discovered in the Milky Way. None of the planets are within the star’s so-called habitable zone, which means life, at least as we know it, is unlikely. News agency.
The discovery, announced on Wednesday, may help explain how solar systems form in the Milky Way. This solar system is located 100 light-years away in the Coma Berenice constellation.
The star, known as HD 110067, may have a larger number of planets. The six planets found so far are approximately two to three times the size of Earth, and are closer to their star than Venus is to the sun.
As gas planets, scientists say they have a solid core of rock, metal or ice surrounded by thick layers of hydrogen. More observations are needed to determine what is present in its atmosphere.
This solar system is unique because the six planets move like a perfectly synchronized symphony
The researchers said.
The innermost planet completes three orbits of its nearest neighbor every second orbit. The same applies to the second and third closest planets and the third and fourth closest planets.
According to the researchers, all solar systems, including our own, started out this way.
However, it is estimated that only 1% of systems have this concurrency, and our system is not one of them. Among other things, giant planets or meteorites, close encounters with neighboring stars can disrupt this synchronization.
Although astronomers know that there are 40 to 50 synchronous solar systems, none contain that many planets, and none in which celestial bodies move at such a perfect pace.