Scientists have discovered a rare sight in a nearby star system: Six planets orbiting their central star in a rhythmic beat. The planets move in an orbital waltz that repeats itself so precisely that it can be readily set to music.
A rare case of an “in sync” gravitational lockstep, the system could offer deep insight into planet formation and evolution.
The analysis, led by UChicago scientist Rafael Luque, was published Nov. 29 in Nature.
“This discovery is going to become a benchmark system to study how sub-Neptunes, the most common type of planets outside of the solar system, form, evolve, what are they made of, and if they possess the right conditions to support the existence of liquid water in their surfaces,” said Luque
It was great for getting an “insider’s perspective” on what were sometimes sensationalized science news headlines. There’d be some random guy, “Hey there, I work down the hall from the team that’s been working on this, absolutely stunning results, blah blah blah” or “I work in this field and this has been known about for a decade, there’s absolutely nothing to this thing and it’s not practical because of X, Y, and Z.” Random experts just popping up out of nowhere to add context.