Scientists Find Planet with 3 Suns

[Madame Butterfly 0]

Scientists find planet with 3 suns

 

(Reuters) -- Astronomers have detected a planet outside our solar system with not one, but three suns, a finding that challenges astronomers' theories of planetary formation.

 

The planet, a gas giant slightly larger than Jupiter, orbits the main star of a triple-star system known as HD 188753 in the constellation Cygnus.

 

The stellar trio and its planet are about 149 light-years from Earth and about as close to each other as our sun is to Saturn, U.S. scientists reported on Thursday in the current edition of the journal Nature.

 

A light-year is about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion km), the distance light travels in a year.

 

If you stood on the planet's surface, you would see three suns in sky, although its orbit centers around the main yellow star among the trio. The larger of the other two suns would be orange and the smaller would be red, astronomers at California Institute of Technology said in a statement.

 

The new finding could upset existing theories that planets usually form out of gas and dust circling a single star, and could lead scientists to look in new places for planets.

 

"The implication is that there are more planets out there than we thought," the commentary said.

 

Caltech astronomer Maciej Konacki, who wrote the research article, refers to the new type of planets as "Tatooine planets," because of the similarity to Luke Skywalker's view of his home planet by the same name, with its multiple suns, in the original "Star Wars" film.

 

The fact that a planet can even exist in a multiple-star system is amazing in itself, according to Konacki. Binary and multiple stars are quite common in the solar neighborhood, and in fact outnumber single stars by some 20 percent.

 

But so far, most extrasolar planets -- those discovered outside our planetary system -- have been detected by watching for a characteristic wobble in the stars their orbit, reflecting the gravitation pull the planets exert on their suns.

 

This method is less effective for binary and multiple star systems, and existing theories said planets were unlikely to form in this kind of environment.

 

Konacki found a new way to identify planets by measuring velocities of all bodies in a binary or multiple star system.

 

Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved

[Eratosthenes 0]

That's very interesting.

[HRH The KING 0]

They have got to start giving these extra-solar planets nice names.

 

I'm sick of them calling the new planets things like EDH-93738-27382.

 

And so forth.

[Eratosthenes 0]

Yes, and they should be names like Risa, Vulcan, Cardassia, Romulus, Remus, EratosthenesIsTheBombus, and so on... :lol:

 

 

Oh yes, and BowBeforeTheKingus! :lol:

[HRH The KING 0]

BowBeforeTheKingus

 

I love that name!!!!! :lol:

 

 

You know, if I had the money and the technology, I would hire a team of astronauts to travel to the moon and reshape it's entire landscape to resemble my face.

 

Of course that would mean that billions of women all over the world would fall in love with the moon.

Edited July 18, 2005 by HRH The KING

[Conundrum 0]

I read about this earlier today.Very interesting.

It just goes to show the complexity and beauty and diversity of God's universe.

:lol:

[Kor37 9]

3 suns....Wow! Just think of the tan that you can get there!

[APW 0]

I wonder if the planet has a "night" like we do,or if its suns are positioned just right to keep both halfs "day" all the time.....?

And if it does have a night,is it short?

:lol:

[trekzone 0]

interesting read...admiral you've raised some interesting questions, i guess it would depend on the position of the suns...

[Eratosthenes 0]

BowBeforeTheKingus

 

I love that name!!!!!

 

 

You know, if I had the money and the technology, I would hire a team of astronauts to travel to the moon and reshape it's entire landscape to resemble my face.

 

Of course that would mean that billions of women all over the world would fall in love with the moon.

340553[/snapback]

So what happens when an asteroid collides with the moon and puts a dent in your face? :lol:

[HRH The KING 0]

Then I'll sue that asteroid for assault.

[Eratosthenes 0]

Well, I hope you have a good lawyer then! :P