Astronomers Spot a High-Speed Star That May Carry a Planet With It

A celestial object, presumably a small star with a large exoplanet, has been noticed shifting via the Milky Way at a unprecedented velocity of over 1.2 million mph. The discovery has led researchers to imagine that this may very well be the quickest planetary system ever detected. The object was first recognized in 2011 via microlensing, a method the place gentle is bent by gravitational fields. A brand new examine has now linked this object to a not too long ago recognized star, although uncertainties stay about its actual nature and velocity.

Potential Star and Exoplanet System Analysed

According to a study printed in The Astronomical Journal, the newly noticed star is estimated to be round one-fifth the mass of the Sun and situated roughly 24,000 light-years away within the galactic bulge. If it’s the identical object from the 2011 microlensing occasion, calculations counsel it’s shifting at an excessive velocity. The presence of an exoplanet has not been confirmed, however based mostly on mass estimates, researchers counsel it may very well be a “super-Neptune” orbiting the star at a distance akin to Venus or Earth within the Solar System.

Possibility of Escape from the Milky Way

If the velocity of the stellar object exceeds 1.3 million mph, scientists counsel it might ultimately go away the Milky Way, doubtlessly carrying its exoplanet into intergalactic area. Sean Terry, postdoctoral researcher on the University of Maryland and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, stated to NASA that if confirmed, it will be the primary planet ever detected orbiting a hypervelocity star. However, he emphasised that additional observations are essential to confirm its identification and trajectory.

Uncertainties and Alternative Theories

David Bennett, senior analysis scientist on the University of Maryland, instructed NASA that extra observations are wanted to verify whether or not this is similar object noticed in 2011. The analysis staff plans to observe the star’s motion over the subsequent yr to confirm its trajectory. Another attainable rationalization is that the 2011 commentary detected a rogue planet with an exomoon fairly than a star-exoplanet system. Aparna Bhattacharya, analysis scientist on the University of Maryland, defined to NASA that if the thing doesn’t transfer as anticipated, the rogue planet speculation could also be favoured.