‘Triple-Star System’: NASA’s TESS reveals historic world 5000-light years away from Earth
Produced by: BT Desk Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Discovery of a Unique Triple-Star System
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has identified a new triple-star system, designated TIC 290061484, located nearly 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. This system features two stars that orbit each other every 1.8 Earth days, accompanied by a third star that orbits the pair every 25 Earth days.
Credit : NASA
Record-Breaking Tight Orbit
TIC 290061484 sets a new record for the tightest three-star system, surpassing the previous record held by Lambda Tauri, which has a third star that orbits its inner twin stars every 33 days.
Credit : NASA
Collaborative Effort
The discovery was made by a team that included citizen scientists from the Planet Hunters project and professional astronomers from the Visual Survey Group, which has been operational for a decade.
Credit : NASA
Stability of the System
Researchers believe the stars’ orbits are stable due to their nearly coplanar configuration, which minimizes gravitational disruption. However, this stability may only last a few million years, a brief period in the universe’s timeline.
Credit : NASA
Future of the System
As the twin stars evolve, they will expand and ultimately merge, resulting in a supernova explosion in approximately 20 to 40 million years. The likelihood of impacting nearby life is low since no planets have been found in close proximity to the stars.
Credit : NASA
Method of Discovery
The system was identified through the analysis of strobing starlight caused by the stars crossing in front of each other. The research team utilized machine learning to analyze TESS data and enlisted citizen scientists to help identify significant signals.
Potential for More Discoveries
The team believes that many similar tightly bound star systems exist within the Milky Way, and that advanced technology could reveal systems with even shorter orbital periods.
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
Set to launch no earlier than May 2027, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to provide higher-resolution images of space. It aims to enhance the understanding of star systems, possibly uncovering new categories of multi-star systems and improving the detection of tightly packed star systems. The findings were published on October 2 in The Astrophysical Journal.
Credit : NASA