Astronomers Discover Rare Tatooine-like Exoplanet with Unusual Orbit

Astronomers have discovered a rare Tatooine-like exoplanet known as HD 143811 AB b, which orbits two stars in a binary system located 446 light-years away. This exoplanet is notable for its 300-year orbit, which is significantly longer than typical planetary orbits.

Jason Wang, an exoplanet imaging expert from Northwestern University, highlighted that HD 143811 AB b is six times closer to its parent stars than any previously observed binary system exoplanet, yet it takes 300 Earth years to complete its orbit.

The planet, approximately 13 million years old, is six times the size of Jupiter and provides scientists with a unique opportunity to study the dynamics of planetary formation around binary stars. The discovery was made using archival data from the Gemini Planet Imager, which was initially collected nearly a decade ago.

Researchers are eager to continue observing this exoplanet to understand better how it and other planets form in such unusual configurations, according to Wang and fellow team member Nathalie Jones. The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on December 11, 2023.