Astronomers discover six planets orbiting a nearby sun-like star
Astronomers have discovered a six-pack of planets, formed at least 4 billion years ago and remarkably unchanged since, orbiting a nearby sun-like star. The new planets, described in a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature, could provide a breakthrough in the understanding of how planets form and why there are so many between the sizes of Earth and Neptune, a class known as “sub Neptunes” that is astoundingly common in our galaxy.
These newfound worlds are hot, gassy and unlikely to be pleasant places to visit. Their cozy orbits around the parent star put them well inside what astrobiologists consider the “habitable zone” of a planetary system. The hunt for Earth 2.0 goes on.
But what makes these planets unusual, in addition to their large number, is that they are locked into a resonance with one another as they orbit the star. One planet, for example, will make precisely three orbits while an adjacent planet makes two.
“These resonant chains are very rare in Nature,” lead author Rafael Luque of the University of Chicago said in a webinar Tuesday with reporters.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2023/11/29/six-new-planets-found-nasa/
This should be a freebie. I hope anyway.