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Extrasolar planets

Rare Pair of Brown Dwarfs Hosts First Exoplanet with 90-Degree Angle Orbit

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A team of international researchers led by the University of Birmingham has discovered a planet that orbits at a 90-degree angle around a rare pair of brown dwarfs. The exoplanet, named 2M1510 (AB) b, is a polar planet that orbits a pair of young brown dwarfs, which are objects bigger than gas-giant planets but too small to be proper stars. This discovery is significant as it is the first time such strong evidence for a 'polar planet' orbiting a stellar pair has been collected.

Key Takeaways:

  • The exoplanet, 2M1510 (AB) b, orbits a pair of young brown dwarfs (2M1510) at a 90-degree angle, making it a polar planet.
  • This is the first exoplanet found on a right-angled path to the orbit of its two host stars.
  • The discovery was made using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) and data analysis developed at the University of Birmingham.
  • The team found this planet while refining the orbital and physical parameters of the two brown dwarfs using the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) instrument on the VLT.
  • The discovery was serendipitous, as the observations were not collected to seek such a planet or orbital configuration.
  • Thomas Baycroft, a PhD student at the University of Birmingham, led the study and commented on the significance of the discovery.

Statistics:

  • The precision of the data analysis was improved by a factor of 30 thanks to pioneering data analysis developed at Birmingham by Dr Lalitha Sairam.
  • The team observed the orbital path of the two stars in 2M1510 being pushed and pulled in unusual ways, leading them to infer the existence of 2M1510 (AB) b.
  • The discovery was part of the Search for habitable Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars (SPECULOOS) project, which the University of Birmingham partially owns.

Sources:

  • Thomas Baycroft et al. (2023). "Observations of the binary brown dwarf 2M1510AB: A polar planet candidate on a 90° orbit." Science Advances, 16(4).
  • Thomas Baycroft (2023, April 16). "A new spin on the search for exoplanets - detecting polar planets." University of Birmingham Press Release.

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