Scientists using the Very Large Telescope in Chile have discovered a new solar system with multiple exoplanets. The discovery is significant because it is the first time a solar system with an exoplanet has been directly observed. Most exoplanets have been discovered by observing the position of the star caused by the planet’s gravity.
Direct imaging of exoplanets is difficult because they are faint and far away from their host stars. However, scientists were able to capture images of two large exoplanets orbiting the star TYC 8998-760-1 on the night of February 16, 2020. This solar system is located more than 300 light years away.
Only a few exoplanets have been directly imaged so far, and only two additional multi-planet systems have been discovered, both orbiting stars completely different from the Sun. Astronomers led by Alexander Bohn of Leiden University in the Netherlands discovered an unusual planet orbiting TYC 8998-760-1 last year using the Direct Imaging System. It was a gas giant with a mass 14 times that of Jupiter.
TYC 8998-760-1 To discover the solar system, a team of astronomers took the help of very large telescopes. These data are collected from 2017 observations. They discovered another bright exoplanet far away from the primary exoplanet with a mass about six times that of Jupiter.
By studying exoplanets, scientists hope to better understand the planetary system. Exoplanets orbiting young stars like the Sun can provide important information about how planetary systems like ours formed.