The discovery of the first planet outside the solar system Trojan (video)

In astronomy, the term Trojan refers to space objects (planets, asteroids, natural satellites, etc.) that move in the same orbit as larger space objects without the problem of colliding with them. In our solar system, space rocks have been identified mainly in the regions near Jupiter belonging to the Trojan class. Astronomers formulated the opinion that the Trojan planets should exist, but until today there has been no trace of their existence.

with Publishing In the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, the research group presents the discovery of the first naturally occurring exoplanet Trojan, a planet from another star system. About 370 light-years from Earth is the young star PDS 70. Planets are forming in the disk of cosmic matter around the star, and so far two planets have been identified, PDS 70b and PDS 70c, which are gas giants similar to Jupiter.

Four years after the discovery of the two planets, the research team studied data collected by the PDS 70 system of the ALMA radio telescope array in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The researchers concluded that the two smaller exoplanets follow the same orbit as the larger one, making it, if the discovery is confirmed, the first exoplanet from Troy.

“For the first time we have found evidence to prove the idea of ​​​​the existence of Trojan planets. Who would have thought that two worlds share the same path and perhaps the same conditions? We can imagine a planet sharing its orbit with thousands of asteroids as it happens with Jupiter, but in my opinion it seems surprising that the planets share a Same orbit,” says Olga Balsalobre-Rota of the Center for Astrobiology in Madrid, head of the research team. Confirmation of the discovery will come in 2026 when the same research team will re-observe the PDS 70 system using the ALMA array. “The confirmation will revolutionize the field of space exploration,” says Roth. Outside of earth”.

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