Space & Astronomy
Distant solar system mirrors our own
By
T.K. RandallJuly 27, 2012 ·
18 comments
Image Credit: NASA
Planets orbiting a sun-like star exhibit the closest layout to that of our own solar system yet seen.
The system known as 'Kepler 30' contains a trio of planets, the orbits of which align almost exactly along their star's equator. The discovery lends credence to the idea that planets emerge from a flat disc of material encircling their parent star, an idea that had been losing ground due to the number of solar systems being found with skewed orbits.
The planets in Kepler 30 are larger than those in our solar system but not large or close enough to their parent star to be considered 'hot Jupiters'.
he discovery supports the idea that planets emerge from relatively flat discs of material encircling stars and, at first, orbit neatly in the same plane, just as our eight planets circle the sun. This long-held notion has recently been called into question by a haul of planetary systems with wildly skewed orbits.
Source:
New Scientist |
Comments (18)
Tags:
Please Login or Register to post a comment.