74
LYNETTE COOK
This artists’ impression shows the planet Kepler-1647 passing in front of its twin suns.
A University of Hawaii astronomer is part of a team that discovered the largest planet outside the solar system that orbits two suns.
The newfound world, about the size of Jupiter, is 3,700 light-years from Earth. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles.
Although the planet is in the habitable zone — where water that is crucial to life can be liquid — it’s not a good candidate to support life because it’s so big, scientists said.
However, “a giant planet similar to those in our solar system may well host undetected large moons that could be habitable,” University of Hawaii astronomer Nader Haghighipour said in a news release. The orbit of Kepler-1647b will remain stable for at least tens of millions of years, increasing the possibility of life forming on its moons, he added.
The team led by NASA and San Diego State University used the planet-hunting Kepler telescope. The discovery was announced today during a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in San Diego.
The newly discovered planet, Kepler-1647b, takes 3 years to orbit the twin suns.
Planets that circle a pair of suns are nicknamed “Tatooine” after the fictional body in the “Star Wars” films that boasts a double sunset.
In 2011, scientists found the first Tatooine planet — a world about the size of Saturn 200 light-years from Earth.
NASA launched Kepler in 2009 to search for planets — mainly Earth-like planets — outside the solar system.
“The orbit of Kepler-1647b will remain stable for at least tens of millions of years, increasing the possibility of life forming on its moons, he added.”
That’s good news. There will be time for me to go holoholo there.