Astronomers have found an exoplanet with an unusual orbit
Photo © arxiv.org
A planet discovered by scientists at the California Institute of Technology has an elongated orbit. According to them, it could approach the Sun in the region of the asteroid belt, and then move beyond the orbit of Neptune.
The new facility is called HR 5183 b. Its mass is about three times that of Jupiter. A complete revolution around its star - HR 5183 - the planet makes every 45-100 years. According to astronomers, it has an unusual, very elongated orbit.
“The planet is not like any other in our solar system, and moreover, it is not like any of the planets currently open,” notes Sarah Blunt, one of the authors of the new study. “Other planets detected far from their stars have predominantly very low eccentricity, which means that their orbits are more circular.” The fact that this planet has such a high eccentricity indicates some differences in how it formed or evolved, in comparison with other planets. "
As for the movement of HR 5183 b, she spends most of the time in the external part of her system. Then it starts to accelerate and makes a jerk next to the star.
The only explanation of how the planet ended up in such an orbit is the receipt of a gravitational impact from some other object. Astronomers believe that once close to HR 5183 b was a similar-sized planet. And after their approach to each other and the collision, one crowded out the other.
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