Scientists have received the first evidence of the existence of two “Trojan planets” in the same orbit
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Scientists have received evidence of the existence of two planets of the solar system in the same orbit. They are located in a small planetary system 370 light years from Earth. This is reported by ScienceAlert. Planets with a common orbit are called Trojan planets. “Two decades ago, it was theoretically predicted that pairs of planets of the same mass could rotate in the same orbit around their star. For the first time, we found evidence to support this theory,” says Olga Balsalobre-Ruza, an astrophysicist from the Center for Astrobiology in Spain. A new discovery of scientists. Photo: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) /Balsalobre-Ruza et al The system is called PDS-70. It was here that for the first time scientists were able to take direct images of not only one, but two exoplanets in the process of formation (PDS-70b and PDS-70c). In the photo you can see a spot that is dimmer than the exoplanet. Its mass is approximately twice that of the Moon. Although this spot is not yet a planet, researchers are excited about its location. It is located at the Lagrange point (the position of orbital stability between the Earth and the Sun – ed.). Each two-body system has five such points. These are “pockets” of space where gravitational interaction occurs. Scientists discovered a spot in the Lagrange point. Photo: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) /Balsalobre-Ruza et al “Who could imagine two worlds with the same length of year and the same conditions for life. Our work is the first evidence that such a world could exist. We can imagine a planet sharing an orbit with thousands of asteroids, as in the case of Jupiter, but it amazes me that the planets can have a single orbit,” says Balsalobre-Ruza. According to scientists, for now their discovery is probably a thick cloud of dust and only part of the planet. It can help to understand the formation process of Trojan planets and planetary systems. Five Lagrange points of the Earth-Sun system. Diagram: ESA To confirm their theory, scientists plan to re-examine the planetary system in 2026. Read also: Astronomers have found a planet that resembles a giant mirror
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