Scientists have recently uncovered compelling evidence that two exoplanets can indeed share the same orbit, giving rise to the existence of so-called Trojan or co-orbital planets. These elusive celestial bodies have been theorized for two decades but have never been directly observed. Named after the rocky bodies that share the orbit of a planet in our own Solar System, the most well-known examples being the Trojan asteroids of Jupiter, the confirmation of Trojan planets would be a major breakthrough in the field of astronomy.
The discovery was made by an international team of researchers who detected a cloud of debris in the PDS 70 system, located 400 light-years away from Earth. The system is known to host two giant Jupiter-like planets, PDS 70b and PDS 70c. The debris was found within an area of PDS 70b’s orbit where Trojan planets are expected to exist, known as the Lagrangian zone. This region is where the combined gravitational forces of the star and the planet can trap material, making it an ideal location for the formation of sibling exoplanets.
The scientists observed a faint signal within one of the Lagrangian zones, suggesting the presence of a cloud of debris. They theorize that this could be either a Trojan world itself or a planet in the process of forming. The detection of this debris represents the strongest evidence thus far for the existence of co-orbital exoplanets.
The researchers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert to make their observations. These findings challenge previous assumptions that co-orbital exoplanets may be undetectable with current techniques. It is also possible that Trojans are relatively short-lived in cosmic timescales, making them harder to spot as they are often ejected from their orbits by gravitational forces and collide with other celestial bodies before being detected.
Confirmation of the existence of Trojan planets would be a significant milestone in the study of exoplanets. Lead researcher Olga Balsalobre-Ruza of the Centre for Astrobiology in Madrid expressed excitement about the findings and the possibility of two worlds sharing the same orbit. If confirmed, this discovery would provide valuable insights into the formation and evolution of these unique planetary systems.
To validate their findings, the scientists will continue observations with ALMA until at least 2026. By monitoring the movements of PDS 70b and the cloud of debris, they hope to further establish the existence of Trojan exoplanets. These future observations will contribute to a deeper understanding of Trojans and their prevalence in various planetary systems.
The research conducted by the international team of astronomers has been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. The ALMA radio telescope, located in the Atacama Desert, is one of the world’s most powerful ground-based telescopes, providing valuable data for astronomical research.
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