Mystery of a Retrograde Exoplanet: Stellar Cannibalism and Orbital Migration
2025-05-24
The exoplanet ν Octantis b, orbiting a tight binary star system in a retrograde orbit, defies established planetary formation theories. Researchers suggest its unusual orbit may stem from mass transfer between the stars. Slow mass transfer could have created a temporary protoplanetary disk, giving birth to ν Octantis b. Alternatively, the changed mass distribution within the system destabilized outer planets, causing one to spiral inwards and be captured in its current stable retrograde orbit. Such a scenario is exceptionally rare, and further data is needed to confirm its formation mechanism.
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binary star system