A planet orbiting three stars? Strange, but surprisingly possible. On 01 October 2021, astronomers from University of Nevada, Las Vegas,(UNLV) may have discovered this bizarre system 1,300 light years away from Earth.
GW Orionis is a triple star system located on the upper part of Orion. Two suns orbit around each other at the middle while the third sun circle them a bit farther away. A significant gap exists between the system's dust ring.
Figure: The location of GW Orionis as shown in red.(Source: ALMA Observatory)
Observed using the highly-powered Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Telescope, GW Orionis is added to the list of rare celestial bodies. But not because it has three stars orbiting each other.
Triple star systems are in fact common in our galaxy. They make up about 10% of known solar systems. What differentiates GW Orionis from the other system is the mysterious space between its circumtriple disc. Why was the gap there?
Picture: Blurry visual image of GW Orionis as seen from Earth. (European Southern Observatory)
UNLV considered numerous explanations for this novel phenomenon. The team even calculated the possibility of rotational force(torque) effect from the three stars. But that would be less likely. All this effort lead them to build a realistic model of GW Orionis.
And they found a fascinating result; a planet might be orbiting the three stars. Jupiter-sized planets can easily carve a path in dust-filled space. Therefore making its presence noticeable to distant neighbors. If this theory is correct, we would have our very first planet to have three suns at once!
Further study and observation from ALMA would seek to provide evidence to confirm UNLV's hypothesis.
Resource:
Bruzda, N. (2021, 01 October). Research in Brief: UNLV Astronomers May Have Discovered First Planet to Orbit 3 Stars. Retrieved from University of Nevada, Las Vegas: https://www.unlv.edu/news/release/research-brief-unlv-astronomers-may-have-discovered-first-planet-orbit-3-stars
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