Worlds orbiting a sun-like star 100 light-years from Earth could unlock secrets surrounding the formation of our solar system.
A family of six gaseous worlds circling like rhythmic dervishes around a sun-like star will soon help astronomers better understand how planetary systems like our own formed and evolved.
This newly discovered system, about 100 light-years from Earth, is unusual because its planets orbit a bright host star in a pattern that appears unchanged since its birth at least 4 billion years ago, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
"It offers an opportunity to study an early stage of a planetary system's orbital architecture," said Tansu Daylan, an assistant professor of physics at Washington University in St. Louis and a fellow of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences.
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Header image: An illustration showing the six exoplanets of the HD 110067 system, located about 100-light years from Earth, and the relationship between neighboring planets’ orbits. Credit: Thibaut Roger/NCCR Planets
