Astronomers Discover 27 Potential "Tatooine-Like" Planets Orbiting Two Stars

Astronomers have made a major discovery that brings real science a little closer to science fiction, identifying dozens of possible planets orbiting two stars, similar to the fictional world of Tatooine from the Star Wars universe. The finding adds new possibilities to how planetary systems may exist beyond our solar system, reported the Guardian.

Scientists have discovered 27 new potential planets that may orbit two stars. These are known as circumbinary planets. So far, only about 18 such planets have been confirmed, while more than 6,000 planets have been found orbiting single stars like Earth orbits the Sun.

The newly identified candidate planets are located at distances ranging from 650 to 18,000 light years away from Earth. The discovery was published around 4 May, a date popularly known as Star Wars Day.

Associate Prof Ben Montet of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the senior author of the study, said that astronomy often deals with ideas that are not easy to imagine directly. He said that because of the famous Tatooine sunset scene in Star Wars, people now have a clear idea of what a planet with two suns might look like.

More than half of all stars in the universe exist in binary or multiple star systems. Previously, scientists detected circumbinary planets mainly through transits, where a planet passes in front of a star and causes a dip in brightness.

Montet explained that this method only works when the alignment is perfect from Earth's point of view. He said that many systems may be missed because of this limitation, adding that finding planets is extremely difficult, comparing it to spotting a candle next to a bright streetlight.

Instead, the researchers used a different method called apsidal precession. This involves studying a wobble in stars that orbit and eclipse each other.

PhD candidate and lead author Margo Thornton said that carefully tracking the timing of these eclipses can reveal the presence of another object in the system. She said that after removing other possible explanations, the team identified 36 star systems out of 1,590 that could only be explained by a third body.

Thornton said that for 27 of these objects, it is possible that they are planet-sized. However, further study is needed to confirm their nature by analysing the light they emit. She said scientists still need to determine whether these objects are planets, brown dwarfs, or stars.

The potential planets were detected using data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, a space telescope launched in 2018. The objects may range in size from Neptune-like planets to bodies up to ten times the mass of Jupiter.

Dr Sara Webb of Swinburne University of Technology, who was not part of the study, said the techniques used were very effective and could help discover more planets in the future. She noted that circumbinary planets would likely have extreme environments unlike anything in our solar system.

She added that a world like Tatooine could potentially exist in a stable zone between two stars where temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold.

Webb also reflected that when Star Wars was first released, exoplanets were not yet known to exist. She said that many ideas once seen in fiction are now being explored and confirmed through science.

The research has been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.