Astronomy & Astrophysics: New Planet Discovered in Ursa Major
Astronomers from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun (Poland) have discovered a new exoplanet in the constellation Ursa Major. The results of the study, published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, demonstrate the stabilizing effect of relativity effects on hierarchical planetary systems.
The new planet’s characteristics significantly exceed those of the most massive objects in the solar system. Its mass is 11 times greater than that of Jupiter, and it completes one revolution around the star in 14 years. The planet is located at a distance of six astronomical units from its star and has a temperature of about minus 100 degrees Celsius.
To detect and study the planet, astronomers used Doppler observations, which record changes in the motion of a star under the influence of the planet’s gravity. The observations were conducted over several years using various telescopes, including the nine-meter Hobby-Eberly telescope in Texas and the Italian Galileo telescope in the Canary Islands.
For 20 years, scientists observed the star HD 118203, and in 2006, the first planet was discovered – a gas giant that orbits the star in just six days. However, further studies showed that there may be another planet in the system, which was confirmed in 2023. With the help of new data, scientists were able to accurately determine the mass and orbit of the second planet.
Both planets in this system are massive and orbit in elongated orbits. The system is hierarchical, meaning that one planet forms a tight pair with its star, and the second planet orbits this pair in an orbit wide enough to form another pair with the first. Despite the mutual gravitational influence of the two planets, the system remains stable due to the effects of general relativity.
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