2023-05-29 11:55:28
MADRID, 29 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Research has cataloged all the triple star systems that host known planets, those that have three or more stars with planets.
This study, led by Manfred Cuntz, a professor of planetary physics at the University of Texas at Arlington, and published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplements Series, offers a classification of the system that considers the various types of planetary orbits, among other factors. In addition, the authors examine past controversies and planet retractions based on the criteria for what constitutes a planet-hosting triple star system.
Most of the planets, like all of the planets in Earth’s solar system, orbit around a single star. About 100 known planets are members of stellar binaries, the authors wrote in their study.
“The number of planets found to be hosted in higher-order systems is relatively small: about 40 for triple and quadruple systems combined, and the exact number depends on whether you include some controversial or unconfirmed cases,” Cuntz said. it’s a statement. “The number of confirmed planets in triple star systems is currently around 30, which is about 0.5% of the total number of identified planets. This aspect makes those planets very special.”
NASA’s Kepler space telescope, which was in operation from 2009 to 2018, aided in the science of discovering planet-hosting triple star systems, Cuntz said. Scientists expect the number of known systems to increase, particularly with the capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope, which launched in 2021.
The authors note that the vast majority of planets in the triple star system are Jupiter-type, meaning they are gas giants, and the host stars are relatively massive, compared to typical main-sequence stars. However, some planets with the mass of Earth have also been found.
Triple star systems can be divided into two subgroups, each of which travels in a relatively large orbit around the system’s center of mass. In a triple star system, two of the stars usually form a close binary pair (two stars that are gravitationally bound and in orbit around each other), and the third orbits that pair from a farther distance. Systems with more than three stars are expected to produce even more complicated orbital arrangements.
“The existence of planets in triple star systems is theoretically extremely challenging, both with regard to their formation and their orbital stability,” Cuntz said. “These topics are a great motivation for future research at UTA, which also involves students.”
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