Strange 'twin' new worlds found

[BoyBach]

Strange 'twin' new worlds found - BBC Website

A pair of strange new worlds that blur the boundaries between planets and stars have been discovered beyond our Solar System.

A few dozen such objects have been identified in recent years but this is the first set of "twins".

Dubbed "planemos", they circle each other rather than orbiting a star.

Their existence challenges current theories about the formation of planets and stars, astronomers report in the journal Science.

And my favorite bit of the article:

They go under the official name Oph 162225-240515, or Oph 1622 for short.

 

[Killyp]

That's amazing.

They are separated by about six times the distance between the Sun and Pluto

They must have pretty strong gravitational fields then...

 

[CubaTBird]

This is the type of stuff the news media need to cover more often. THIS is the stuff that really gets society thinking and wondering where we are headed. Not lindsaaaay getting PWNED, lol.

 

[keysersoze]

This is the type of stuff the news media need to cover more often. THIS is the stuff that really gets society thinking and wondering where we are headed. Not lindsaaaay getting PWNED, lol.

Lindsay getting PWNED is here, in case anyone is interested:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/220261/




I do agree though. http://www.happynews.com/category/science-technology.htm

 

[pianoman]

"each having only about 1% the mass of our Sun"

that's strange that their masses are so small, they are very far apart, but still manage to orbit around each other...

i also think it's neat that they formed only 1 million years ago - pretty recently in astronomical terms.

 

[patrick0brien]

Must be a gravitationally calm neighborhood for such a tenuous orbital dance to be successful.

 

[Killyp]

Must be a gravitationally calm neighborhood for such a tenuous orbital dance to be successful.

Did you get that from one of those b•llsh•t generators? That makes absolutely no sense to me...

 

[Josh]

Did you get that from one of those b•llsh•t generators? That makes absolutely no sense to me...

It is cleverly crafted Astronomical Poetry.

Beauty to my cochlea.

 

[jsw]

Did you get that from one of those b•llsh•t generators? That makes absolutely no sense to me...

The point being made is that two relatively small (in the overall scheme of things) bodies separated by such a vast distance (about six times the distance between the Sun and Pluto) would tend to be separated by the pull of other bodies over time unless there weren't any reasonably large/dense bodies nearby.

Edit: And, yes, agreed: it was beautifully said.

 

[BoyBach]

These sort of discoveries and pic's from the Hubble telescope, etc, make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! It's just so humbling.

 

[patrick0brien]

Beauty to my cochlea.

And, yes, agreed: it was beautifully said.

<snif> gosh, thanks guys.