One Giant Hot Jupiter Planet Has Three Suns

The latest discovery is an exciting new exoplanet which has three suns. It gives an insight into how Jupiters are part of multiple-star systems.

The huge Hot Jupiter planet is called KELT-4Ab and takes three days to orbit around the star, also called KELT-A. Other stars in the same system may be too remote to play the role of large agents of heating.

Called KELT-B and KELT-C, these stars orbit one another over 30 years, and then orbit KELT-A through 4,000 years.

While the Hot Jupiters are similar to our own neighbour, Jupiter, being huge and gaseous, they are nearer to their star than our own Jupiter.

Researchers, at first, did not figure out that the system had three stars but believed that the three closely paired stars were just one. The latest study showed that the researchers used robotic telescopes in Arizona and South Africa to identify that the system has three stars.

This system  is relatively closer compared to others that are difficult to study. Hence, it would be a good location to comprehend triple-star systems and how they affect other orbits and systems.

It may also give scientists an insight into how the planet, KELT-4Ab, can orbit so closely to its star. As it is so huge like Jupiter, scientists expect it to be further from its star, which may give some insights into Hot Jupiter exoplanets.

The findings are published in the March 2016 journal The Astronomical Journal.