The 70 Ophiuchi system, which is located trillions of kilometers away from Earth but is considered our neighbor on a cosmic scale, is under the spotlight of scientists. There is no confirmed planet yet in this system, which hosts two stars that are slightly smaller and cooler than our Sun. However, using this structure as a reference, the researchers modeled whether an Earth-sized planet could remain in a stable orbit in the “habitable zone” of the host star. It has been determined that the planets can successfully maintain their orbits in this zone, which represents the temperature range that allows liquid water to exist on the surface.
“THEY MAY BE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE SYSTEMS WE KNOW”
Astrophysicist Stephen Kane, one of the authors of the study published in the Astrophysical Journal, stated that they examined the stellar dynamics of this system, which has been known since ancient times. Emphasizing that when people search for a “second Earth”, they often imagine structures similar to our own Solar System. Kane stated that recent exoplanet discoveries prove that the systems in the universe may be very different from ours. Stating that having a second sun seems exotic, Kane said that worlds that may contain life, even if they are not exactly similar to the Earth, should be taken into consideration.
GRAVITY SIMULATIONS AND STABLE ORBIT TEST
Researcher Skylar D’Angiolillo and her team from the University of California, Riverside, performed simulations on a wide range of objects, from gigantic objects to small celestial bodies, to understand the gravitational interactions in the system. Stating that they carried out tests by placing an Earth-mass planet at different distances, D’Angiolillo explained that planets with unstable orbits can be ejected from the system over time, but thanks to these simulations, they precisely mapped the regions where the planet can remain safely.
SINGLE STAR SYSTEMS ARE RARE THAN THOUGHT
Researchers note that systems with two or more stars are extremely common in the universe, while single-star systems like ours are actually rarer. However, it is noteworthy that only 14 of the approximately 6 thousand exoplanets confirmed to date have been observed orbiting double stars. The latest study changes the approach to double star systems in the search for habitable planets, opening the door to examining new targets with this potential.
