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Planet found in surprisingly close orbit to three suns

JUL 08, 2016

DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029950

Physics Today

Los Angeles Times : Thousands of planets have been found to exist in multistar systems. However, what makes the newly discovered triple-star system HD 131399 stand out is the fact that its planet is located so close to its three stars. Because of the complex gravitational forces involved, scientists had assumed that no planet could maintain a stable orbit in such close proximity to so many stars. “This discovery shows us that planets can form or evolve into these almost unstable systems that previously almost seemed like science fiction,” said the University of Arizona’s Kevin Wagner, one of the researchers whose paper detailing the discovery appears in Science.

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