Rare Triple Star System Has A Hot Jupiter In Its Midst

A three-star system that previously astronomers previously took for a two-star system has revealed yet another surprise: the existence of a hot Jupiter in the midst of stars.

A rare finding, the three-star system has a lot to reveal. For one, it can shed light on the formation of hot Jupiters. Scientists used the Kelt telescopes to make the discoveries. They found that the planet orbits its massive parent star Kelt-A once every three days, and is turn orbited by two smaller twin stars Kelt-B and Kelt-C. The system was estimated about 680 light years away from Earth.

"Its existence within a hierarchical triple and its proximity to Earth provide a unique opportunity for dynamical studies with continued monitoring with high resolution imaging and precision radial velocities," the system's discoverers wrote in The Astronomical Journal.

An artist rendition of sunset on the planet shows the twin stars appearing as bright as full moon on Earth. Additionally, the planet Kelt - 4Ab proximity to its parent sun would make the star appear 40 times brighter than our own Sun on Earth. The close snuggle may have rendered the planet's atmosphere heat-inflated.

Astronomers also found out that the twin stars orbit each other every 30 years while they orbit the star-planet system every 4,000 years.

Besides its rareness, the planet's discovery has caused excitement because it can teach scientists a thing or two about Hot Jupiters.

"Gaseous planets the size of Jupiter are supposed to form much farther out [from their parent star] and stay there, like our own Jupiter did," said lead author Jason Eastman. "Exactly how they got so close is an outstanding question, but one theory is that it migrates due to hot interactions with a third body - in this case, the third and fourth bodies KELT-BC."