This 'improbable' exoplanet system is so wonky because of a weird object within

Live updates

1. 5m ago

   Brown Dwarf Disrupts Unusual Planetary System

   Astronomers are re-evaluating planet formation models due to a complex planetary system. A brown dwarf is altering the orbits of two planets. This interaction occurred without preventing the planets from forming.

   What's confirmed:

   • A brown dwarf is affecting the orbits of two planets.
   • The brown dwarf did not prevent the planets from forming.
   • The system is forcing astronomers to rethink models of planet formation.
   confidence 100%
2. 30d ago

   NASA TESS Discovers Rare Three-Body System Around TOI-201

   Astronomers found a unique planetary system 370 light-years from Earth orbiting the star TOI-201. The system includes a super-Earth and a warm Jupiter being reshaped by a distant brown dwarf. This arrangement contradicts current planetary formation models.

   What's confirmed:

   • The star TOI-201 is 1.3 times the mass and 1.3 times the diameter of the sun.
   • The system includes a super-Earth with six times Earth's mass and a 5.8-day orbit.
   • TOI-201 b is a warm Jupiter with half the mass of Jupiter and a 53-day orbit.
   • Brown dwarf TOI-201 c has 16 times the mass of Jupiter and takes 2,881 to 2,883 days to orbit.
   • TOI-201 c is the longest-period transiting object confirmed by radial velocity.
   • The brown dwarf is coplanar to the other two planets and reshapes them in real time.

   Still unconfirmed:

   • The system is described as a young stellar system.
   • The system is located 370 light-years from Earth.
   confidence 90%