Exoplanet discovered in triple star system
Posted: Thu, Jul 14, 2005, 7:18 AM ET (1118 GMT)
Astronomers announced Thursday that they have discovered an extrasolar planet orbiting a star that is a part of a triple-star system. In a paper in the current issue of the journal Nature, Caltech astronomers said they found a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting close to the primary star in a star system designated HD 188753, 149 light-years from Earth. The planet is similar to the "hot Jupiters" found around other stars, although in this case HD 188753 also features two other stars; all three stars are crammed into a space as wide as the distance between the Sun and Saturn. Many scientists had doubted that planets could even exist in such multiple-star systems, given their complicated dynamics.
Astronomers announced Thursday that they have discovered an extrasolar planet orbiting a star that is a part of a triple-star system. In a paper in the current issue of the journal Nature, Caltech astronomers said they found a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting close to the primary star in a star system designated HD 188753, 149 light-years from Earth. The planet is similar to the "hot Jupiters" found around other stars, although in this case HD 188753 also features two other stars; all three stars are crammed into a space as wide as the distance between the Sun and Saturn. Many scientists had doubted that planets could even exist in such multiple-star systems, given their complicated dynamics.
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