Dozens of Star Wars Tatooine-like planets discovered in new space survey
Yahoo News Canada • • general
Key Points:
- A new satellite survey has identified 27 potential circumbinary planets orbiting two stars, significantly increasing the known number from 18 to 45 such planets.
- These planets were detected using a novel method that monitors changes in the orbits of binary stars by tracking variations in their eclipse schedules, suggesting the influence of orbiting planets.
- The study utilized data from NASA’s TESS space telescope and focused on 1,590 binary star systems, finding a nearly 2% occurrence rate of potential planets in these environments.
- The discovered planet candidates range in size from Neptune-like masses to up to ten times the mass of Jupiter, awaiting confirmation through future observations.
- Researchers believe this method could reveal thousands more circumbinary planets, offering new insights into the true population of planets beyond our solar system.
