This newly detected exoplanet, located around 120 light-years away, appears to follow a rare orbit around two brown dwarfs—objects often referred to as "failed stars" due to their insufficient mass to sustain nuclear fusion.
According to a recent study publishe
"I wouldn't bet my life the planet exists yet"
The brown dwarfs were discovered some time ago, noted for eclipsing one another. However, the planet suspected of orbiting them has not been directly observed. More research is needed to confirm its existence and determine its characteristics, including its mass and orbital path.
“I wouldn’t bet my life that the planet exists yet,” cautioned astrophysicist Simon Albrecht of Aarhus University, who was not involved in the study.
To date, scientists have confirmed more than a dozen planets that orbit two stars, much like Tatooine with its famous twin sunsets.
Study co-author Thomas Baycroft of the University of Birmingham emphasized the significance of studying such unusual systems: “Exploring these strange celestial configurations helps us understand the diverse planetary environments that can exist beyond our solar system.”
“Planets orbiting twin stars were science fiction long before we realized they could actually exist,” Baycroft added.
d in Science Advances, researchers observed subtle shifts in the movement of the brown dwarf pair—changes that would be unlikely unless a third object, possibly a planet, is exerting gravitational influence.