By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
DailynewsegyptDailynewsegypt
  • Home
  • Business
    BusinessShow More
    Egyptian economy offers great competitive advantage, diversified investment opportunities: Ayman Soliman
    Egyptian economy offers great competitive advantage, diversified investment opportunities: Ayman Soliman
    June 1, 2023
    Egypt's new membership in New Development Bank enhances South-South cooperation: Al-Mashat
    Egypt’s new membership in New Development Bank enhances South-South cooperation: Al-Mashat
    June 1, 2023
    CIB signs MoU with LinkedIn learning to promote youth learning culture
    CIB signs MoU with LinkedIn learning to promote youth learning culture
    May 31, 2023
    Islamic banking in Egyptian market increases to EGP 544bn in March 2023
    Islamic banking in Egyptian market increases to EGP 544bn in March 2023
    May 31, 2023
    Banque du Caire’s net profit grows 29% to over EGP 1bn in 1Q 2023
    Banque du Caire’s net profit grows 29% to over EGP 1bn in 1Q 2023
    May 31, 2023
  • Politics
    PoliticsShow More
    Egypt and France discuss joint cooperation in the health sector
    Egypt and France discuss joint cooperation in the health sector 
    June 1, 2023
    AU praises Egypt's role in achieving sustainable peace in Africa despite challenges
    AU praises Egypt’s role in achieving sustainable peace in Africa despite challenges
    May 31, 2023
    Opinion| Russia and China promote stability in the Middle East after the US withdrawal from the region
    Opinion| Russia and China promote stability in the Middle East after the US withdrawal from the region
    May 31, 2023
    Opinion| The American debt crisis and the 2024 elections
    Opinion| The American debt crisis and the 2024 elections
    May 31, 2023
    Abdel Ghaffar affirms Egypt’s support for the Palestinian health sector
    Abdel Ghaffar affirms Egypt’s support for the Palestinian health sector
    May 31, 2023
  • Interviews
    InterviewsShow More
    EFG Finance to launch unified platform gathering all its financing services: Alaa Al-Afifi
    EFG Finance to launch unified platform gathering all its financing services: Alaa Al-Afifi
    May 31, 2023
    I changed my artistic path to create ‘state of wonder’: Tarek Lotfi
    I changed my artistic path to create ‘state of wonder’: Tarek Lotfi
    May 25, 2023
    I adore Ramadan drama, ‘Telt Al-Talata’ series achieved great success: Ghada Abdel Razek
    I adore Ramadan drama, ‘Telt Al-Talata’ series achieved great success: Ghada Abdel Razek
    May 8, 2023
    We aim to establish Egypt as nearshore centre for Software AG for MET region: Rami Kichli
    We aim to establish Egypt as nearshore centre for Software AG for MET region: Rami Kichli
    April 29, 2023
    Egypt-Spain relations witness remarkable development in recent years: Spanish ambassador in Cairo
    Egypt-Spain relations witness remarkable development in recent years: Spanish ambassador in Cairo
    April 18, 2023
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
Reading: Three suns for one planet
Share
Notification
Latest News
Egyptian economy offers great competitive advantage, diversified investment opportunities: Ayman Soliman
Egyptian economy offers great competitive advantage, diversified investment opportunities: Ayman Soliman
Business
Egypt and France discuss joint cooperation in the health sector
Egypt and France discuss joint cooperation in the health sector 
Egypt Politics
Egypt's new membership in New Development Bank enhances South-South cooperation: Al-Mashat
Egypt’s new membership in New Development Bank enhances South-South cooperation: Al-Mashat
Business
CIB signs MoU with LinkedIn learning to promote youth learning culture
CIB signs MoU with LinkedIn learning to promote youth learning culture
Banking
AU praises Egypt's role in achieving sustainable peace in Africa despite challenges
AU praises Egypt’s role in achieving sustainable peace in Africa despite challenges
Politics Egypt
Aa
Aa
DailynewsegyptDailynewsegypt
  • Home
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Interviews
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • Home
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Interviews
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Advertise
© 2023 DNE News. All Rights Reserved.
Dailynewsegypt > Blog > World > Three suns for one planet
World

Three suns for one planet

Deutsche Welle
Last updated: 2016/07/09 at 12:50 AM
By Deutsche Welle 5 Min Read
Share
SHARE

Astronomers have discovered a unique solar system. It’s not just one of those where planets are orbiting a star – three stars and one gas giant are orbiting each other in a highly complex way.
An international team of researchers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile has discovered a highly complex solar system which involves a total of three stars. In the center, there is a giant sun called 131399A. It has a mass 1.8 times that of our sun.

A twin-system of two smaller suns is orbiting the large sun at a distance 300 times larger than the distance between our Earth and sun.

The twin-solar-system itself consists of a larger star called HD131399B and the smaller HD131399C, which is orbiting the larger one. The distance between the two is roughly that of our sun and Saturn, or 9.5 times the distance between sun and Earth.

A young gas giant

A huge planet is orbiting the largest of the three suns. It is a gas giant called HD 131399Ab. It has roughly four times the mass of Jupiter – the largest planet in our solar system. The discovery was published in an online edition of the journal Science.

The system is located roughly 340 light years from us. The gas planet is relatively young. With his juvenile age of only 16 million years he belongs to the youngest planets ever discovered in the universe. To orbit his sun once, he needs 550 years.

The unusual constellation of three suns and one planet leads to all kinds of interesting conditions. In some seasons – which are all longer than a human life – at least one of the suns will be shining at all times. There are three sunrises and sunsets every day.

Hot or cold?

Even though the gas giant is relatively large – compared to many other planets in the universe – and also has a less than cozy climate with temperatures of 1,070 degrees Fahrenheit (550 Celsius), the astronomers consider it rather small and cold for his class.

There are two reasons. First: It is an exoplanet – a planet outside of our solar system. Second: It was found using “direct imaging” by SPHERE – the Spectro-Polarimetric High-Contrast Exoplanet Research Instrument, which is part of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile.

That puts it into the rare class of “directly imaged exoplanets.” Most of the smaller and colder exoplanets remain invisible for telescopes on earth. Their existence can only be proven in indirect ways.

Discovered via light reflection

The majority of exoplanets are found when they transit in front of their respective stars. They dim the intensity of light and radiation emitted from their – that’s how they are identified. The second most important method of finding exoplanets is called doppler spectrography, also known as the radial-velocity method. Astronomers use it to calculate the mass and orbit of a planet by detecting irregularities in the movement of stars, applying the law of gravity.

The few exoplanets one can see from Earth must therefore be extremely bright and large. Otherwise it would not be possible to identify them using a telescope.

“HD 131399Ab is one of the few exoplanets that have been directly imaged, and it’s the first one in such an interesting dynamical configuration,” assistant professor Daniel Apai from the University of Arizona explains in a statement.

How stable is the solar system?

At this point the astronomers are not certain yet how stable the solar-system with three suns will prove to be in the long run.

“Our computer simulations showed that this type of orbit can be stable, but if you change things around just a little bit, it can become unstable very quickly,” Apai said.

“It is not clear how this planet ended up on its wide orbit in this extreme system,” Kevin Wagner, a PhD student in his working group adds. “We can’t say yet what this means for our broader understanding of the types of planetary systems out there, but it shows there is more variety out there than many would have deemed possible.”

You Might Also Like

Opinion| Russia and China promote stability in the Middle East after the US withdrawal from the region

Opinion| The American debt crisis and the 2024 elections

Spanish PM calls early general election after local elections defeat

Biden, Republican House Speaker reach ‘preliminary agreement’ on debt ceiling

Erdoğan wins third presidential term in Turkey after tough run-off

TAGGED: Astronomers, planet
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Previous Article The Nile Project: Resolving conflict into harmony
Next Article Kerber out to prevent Serena Williams making history in Wimbledon final
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ad image
Ad image

Stay Connected

Facebook Like
Twitter Follow
Instagram Follow
Youtube Subscribe

Latest News

Egyptian economy offers great competitive advantage, diversified investment opportunities: Ayman Soliman
Egyptian economy offers great competitive advantage, diversified investment opportunities: Ayman Soliman
Business
Egypt and France discuss joint cooperation in the health sector
Egypt and France discuss joint cooperation in the health sector 
Egypt Politics
Egypt's new membership in New Development Bank enhances South-South cooperation: Al-Mashat
Egypt’s new membership in New Development Bank enhances South-South cooperation: Al-Mashat
Business
CIB signs MoU with LinkedIn learning to promote youth learning culture
CIB signs MoU with LinkedIn learning to promote youth learning culture
Banking
//
Egypt’s only independent daily newspaper in English. Discuss the country’s latest with the paper’s reporters, editors, and other readers.

Quick Link

  • Home
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Interviews
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

© 2023 DNE News. All Rights Reserved.

Join Us!

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc..

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?