 captured this image of PDS 70b and its possible sibling sharing the same orbit (Picture: PA/ESA/NOAJ/NRAO) There is a planet, 369 light-years from Earth, slowly orbiting its star. It is a gas giant, three times the size of Jupiter. And it may not be alone. Astronomers have found evidence to suggest that a second 'sibling' planet may be sharing its orbit – the first of its kind. The researchers detected a cloud of debris that might be sharing this planet's orbit, which could be the building blocks of a new planet or the remnants of one already formed. The discovery would be the strongest evidence yet that two exoplanets – planets outside our solar system – can share one orbit, if it is confirmed. 'Two decades ago it was predicted in theory that pairs of planets of similar mass may share the same orbit around their star, the so-called Trojan or co-orbital planets,' said Olga Balsalobre-Ruza, who led the paper published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. 'For the first time, we have found evidence in favour of that idea.' The PhD student at the Centre for Astrobiology in Madrid, Spain, added: 'Who could imagine two worlds that share the duration of the year and the habitability conditions? Our work is the first evidence that this kind of world could exist. 'We can imagine that a planet can share its orbit with thousands of asteroids as in the case of Jupiter, but it is mind blowing to me that planets could share the same orbit.' Trojans – rocky bodies in the same orbit as a planet – are common in our own solar system, with the most famous example being the Trojan asteroids of Jupiter. These are more than 12,000 rocky bodies that are in the same orbit around the sun as the gas giant. While astronomers have predicted that Trojans could also exist around a star other than our Sun, there has been little evidence to support this. 'Exotrojans [Trojan planets outside the solar system] have so far been like unicorns – they are){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
There is a planet, 369 light-years from Earth, slowly orbiting its star.
It is a gas giant, three times the size of Jupiter. And it may not be alone.
Astronomers have found evidence to suggest that a second ‘sibling’ planet may be sharing its orbit – the first of its kind.
The researchers detected a cloud of debris that might be sharing this planet’s orbit, which could be the building blocks of a new planet or the remnants of one already formed.