Astronomers Discovered First Planet to Orbit 3 Stars

Researchers and colleagues from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) may have discovered the first planet orbiting three stars. That's right. Not one. Not two. But three stars. The star system was found only 1,300 light-years away from Earth.

Now you might think that this is highly unusual, but it isn't. It is believed that half of the star systems have two or more stars gravitationally bound to each other.

The planet was observed via the Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope, and scientists believe that the said planet is a gas giant. Research lead author Jeremy Smallwood states that gas giants form first before terrestrial planets like Earth and Mars.


(All Images: ALMA / ESO / NAOJ / NRAO / University of Exeter / Kraus et al. via Sci-News)

#Astronomy #StarSystem #CircumtripleOrbit #ALMA

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