How 'hot Jupiters' got so close to their stars: Extrasolar planet research sheds light on our solar system
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 - 14:30
in Astronomy & Space
In the last few years astronomers have observed that in some extrasolar systems the star is spinning one way and the planet, a "hot Jupiter," is orbiting the star in the opposite direction. A research team has now modeled how these huge planets got so close to their stars -- thanks to gravitational perturbations by a much more distant planet -- and how the planets' orbits can flip in the process.