Astronomers Stunned By Three Earth-Sized Planets In Distant Unique Planetary System

An international team of scientists identified three Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting within the binary star system TOI-2267, approximately 190 light-years from Earth.

The study, published on Friday (Oct 24) in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, provides new insights into planet formation in double-star systems.

The researchers used NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) to find these exoplanets that look like imaginary worlds in sci-fi movies.

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The study revealed details of the system. It says TOI-2267 has two closely bound stars orbiting each other, and the third planet transits the companion star.

Previously, it was believed that binary systems are hostile to the formation of complex planetary arrangements.

Lead author Sebastian Zuniga-Fernandez, who is a researcher and member of the ExoTIC group at the University of Liege, said in a statement that the analysis shows a unique planetary arrangement.

"This makes TOI-2267 the first binary system known to host transiting planets around both of its stars," he said.

The discovery is crucial for future research, including the potential for observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and other advanced ground-based telescopes.

Fernandez said that discovering three planets in such a compact binary system is a "unique opportunity".

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"It allows us to test the limits of planet formation models in complex environments and to better understand the diversity of possible planetary architectures in our galaxy," he added.

Francisco J Pozuelos, co-leader of the study, notes that "This system is a true natural laboratory for understanding how rocky planets can emerge and survive under extreme dynamical conditions, where we previously thought their stability would be compromised."

"Our discovery breaks several records, as it is the most compact and coldest pair of stars with planets known, and it is also the first in which planets have been recorded transiting around both components," explains Pozuelos, who is a former member of the ExoTIC group and currently a researcher at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (IAA-CSIC).