New solar system discovered with 6 planets in perfect orbits

This discovery was just announced on November 29 in the journal Nature. Accordingly, the new solar system is actually the star system HD 110067 consisting of 6 planets orbiting around the parent star. The HD 110067 system is 100 light years away from us (1 light year is about 9.5 trillion km).

Illustration of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Photo: NASA

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the European Space Agency's Cheops exoplanet identification satellite teamed up to observe this star system.

The results showed that none of the six planets are in the habitable zone, meaning they are very unlikely to support life. They are about 2 to 3 times the size of Earth, with a density similar to that of the gas giant planets in our Solar System (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).

The planet closest to its star completes its orbit in 9.1 Earth days, the next planets have orbits of 13.6 - 20.5 - 30.8 - 41 - 54.7, closer than the distance from Venus to the Sun. This makes the 6 planets extremely hot.

Scientists believe that gas planets have solid cores made of rock, metal or ice, surrounded by thick layers of hydrogen. However, to determine the composition of their atmospheres, more observations are needed.

Scientists say the solar system is unique because all six planets move like a perfectly synchronized symphony. Technically, it’s called a “precise, very well-ordered” resonance, said co-author Enric Palle of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands.

When the innermost planet completes three orbits, its nearest neighbor will complete two orbits. The same ratio applies to the second and third closest planets, and the third and fourth closest planets.

The two outermost planets complete one orbit in 41 and 54.7 days, respectively, so there are four orbits for every three planets. Meanwhile, the innermost planet completes six orbits in the exact time it takes the outermost planet to complete one orbit.

According to scientists, all solar systems, including the one containing Earth, are believed to have had initial orbits similar to the HD 110067 system. However, it is estimated that only 1 in 100 solar systems maintain that orbit, and Earth's solar system is not among them.

“The HF 110067 system is remarkable. First, all six planets orbit in resonance, which is very rare. Second, the star is very bright, the brightest star ever found to have more than four planets,” said co-author Hugh Osborn of the University of Bern (Switzerland).

Hoai Phuong (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phat-hien-he-mat-troi-moi-gom-6-hanh-tinh-co-quy-dao-hoan-hao-post274598.html