Researchers led by Rafael Luque discovered six planets in a rare gravitational resonance around a smaller, cooler star. This unique arrangement, stable since the system’s formation, was identified using data from NASA’s TESS and ESA’s CHEOPS, revealing insights into planetary evolution.
The Discovery
Six planets orbit their central star in a rhythmic beat, a rare case of an “in sync” gravitational lockstep that could offer deep insight into planet formation and evolution.
Key Facts
A star smaller and cooler than our Sun hosts a truly strange family of planets: six “sub-Neptunes” – possibly smaller versions of our own
This animation shows six “sub-Neptune” exoplanets in rhythmic orbits around their star – with a musical tone as each planet passes a line drawn through the system. The line is where the planets cross in front of (“transit”) their star from Earth’s perspective. In these rhythms, known as “resonance,” the innermost planet makes three orbits for every two of the next planet out. Among the outermost planets, a pattern of four orbits for every three of the next planet out is repeated twice. Credit: Dr. Hugh Osborn, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06692-3