Scientists likely discovered traces of the first exoplanet orbiting three stars

Scientists at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas may have discovered the first ever exoplanet orbiting three stars.

A candidate for such a title is located in the GW Orionis system, located approximately 1300 light years from us. It is a very young triple star system, the two components of which are about 1 AU apart. from each other, and the third is located at 8 AU. from the first two.

At one time, a huge disk of gas and dust was discovered near this system. The largest ever seen. The diameter of its dense area is about 400 AU, and the total diameter reaches 1300 AU.

Studying this system, scientists have discovered a specific break in three rings that stand out in the gas and dust disk. Computer simulations have shown that the stars themselves cannot be the cause of the rift, so an as-yet undiscovered planet is the most likely candidate. The rupture is located at a distance of about 100 AU. from the stars. For comparison, Pluto is located at 40 AU. from the sun.

In the coming months, astronomers will continue to observe the system to try to confirm the presence of an exoplanet in the system. If found there, it will be the first discovered exoplanet orbiting three stars.

True, here it is worth clarifying one detail. The fact is that planets have already been found near binary stars and stellar systems of higher magnification. Up to systems with four stars. We now know of 51 such planets and have 36 more unconfirmed candidates.

But in the case of planets in triple star systems, these are always S-type planets, that is, they revolve around one of the stars. In this case, we are talking about a P-type planet, that is, having an orbit around all stellar components. And this is what makes this discovery unique.