Most planets orbit two stars in the same plane as their stars’ movement.
Scientists had suspected that some planets might follow perpendicular, or polar, orbits around binary stars. While planet-forming discs in such orbits had been observed, there was no solid proof that planets existed in these unusual paths—until now.
Using the Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers discovered 2M1510 (AB) b, a planet orbiting at a 90-degree angle around two brown dwarfs. This is the first strong evidence of a polar planet orbiting a stellar pair, confirming that such systems are possible.
Astronomers discovered the planet 2M1510 (AB) b while studying two brown dwarfs using the UVES instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. These brown dwarfs, called ‘2M1510’, eclipse each other, making them part of an extremely rare ‘eclipsing binary system’—only the second of its kind ever found.
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The brown dwarfs were first detected in 2018 with the SPECULOOS project, which searches for planets around ultra-cool stars. Researchers noticed that their orbital paths were behaving oddly, hinting at the presence of an exoplanet with a highly unusual 90-degree orbital angle—the first strong evidence of a polar planet orbiting a binary system.
After analyzing all possible explanations, astronomers concluded that the only scenario matching the data is a planet in a polar orbit around this binary system.
Journal Reference:
- Thomas Baycroft, Lalitha Sairam et al. Evidence for a polar circumbinary exoplanet orbiting a pair of eclipsing brown dwarfs. Science Advances. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adu0627
