Astronomers have discovered six planets orbiting a bright star in perfect resonance.
The star system, 100 light-years from Earth, was described on Wednesday in a paper published in the journal Nature.
“It’s like looking at a fossil,” said Rafael Luque, an astronomer at the University of Chicago who led the study.
“The orbits of the planets today are the same as they were a billion years ago.”Researchers think that when planets first form, their orbits around a star are in sync.
That is, the time it takes for one planet to waltz around its host star might be the same amount of time it takes for a second planet to circle exactly twice, or exactly three times.
Persons:
”, Rafael Luque
Organizations:
University of Chicago