Scientists discover a new solar system in Milky Way

SOLAR TWIN: Scientists have discovered a solar system that has scaled-down versions of Jupiter & Saturn.

ibnlive.com is on mobile now. Read news, watch videos
be a Citizen Journalist. Log on to m.ibnlive.com NOW!

Related Stories

• NASA spacecraft due to reach Jupiter

• New ways to learn planet names!

• Pluto’s planet-hood under test

Top Headlines

Top Videos

Most Popular

• Stock Shock: Satyam off Nifty from Jan 12 

• Satyam stunner: Highs and lows of Raju's career 

• Satyam's crack team | Directors shocked | Timeline  

• Pak sacks NSA | | He spoke too soon | What Pak says 

• 26/11 terrorists 'phoned' to kill foreigners: Dossier 

• BJP avoids Advani vs Shekhawat battle before polls 

• Mumbai terrorists had British link: MI5 chief 

• One more Noida gangrape accused arrested 

• England cricket in turmoil; Pietersen, Moores quit 

• In Pics: Bollywood goes bare | Read Story 

• Satyam boss Raju admits accounting fraud, quits 

• Pak denies, India cries and the band plays on 

• Pak can't decide if India's dossier is proof enough 

• PM joins the diplomatic offensive against Pakistan 

• Choking Delhi: MCD to convert parks into parking lots 

• Trained to kill: How Kasab held Mumbai to ransom 

• Casualties mount, medical aid a far cry in Gaza  

• Day 7: Poonch gunbattle still on, 10 terrorists hiding 

• Non-UPA CMs divided over new anti-terror law 

• Slumdog... crew celebrates A R Rahman's birthday 

• Satyam directors, employees shocked  

• Revealed: Murder order for Mumbai terrorists 

• Satyam 'apologises', vows to emerge stronger 

• Kasab is a Pakistani national: Pak official 

• Stock Shock: Satyam off Nifty from Jan 12 

• Satyam stunner: Highs and lows of Raju's career 

• Mumbai terrorists had British link: MI5 chief 

• Beleaguered Satyam forms crack team for fire-fighting 

• Taking stock: Nilekani on lessons from Satyam fiasco 

• Satyam shocker: Mkts 749 pts down as investors panic 

Photogallery

Find us on Facebook | Join IBNLive community

Stay ahead with G-Talk Buddy | Click now!

Washington: A team of international scientists has discovered a solar system nearly 5,000 light years away in our galaxy, that has scaled-down versions of Jupiter and Saturn.

Scientists found this solar system using the techniques of gravitational microlensing, supercomputer modeling and adaptive optics at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

The two new planets detected in the system were seen when the star they orbit crossed in front of a more distant star as seen from Earth.

Though the planets are about half the distance from their source star as Jupiter and Saturn are from our sun, they are the same distance apart as Jupiter and Saturn are to each other.

The new planets resemble a scaled-down version of our solar system, because the mass ratio, separation ratio and equilibrium temperatures are similar to those of Jupiter and Saturn.

The planets' masses are about 71 percent and 90 percent, respectively, of Jupiter and Saturn; their sun is about 50 percent the mass of our sun.

The overall picture that emerges out of the research is that the planetary system represents a scaled down version of our own solar system, with a less-massive sun.

"It looks more like our solar system than any other system we've seen so far," said Bruce Macintosh, a Livermore author. "This system resembles our own and it has room in it for a planet like Earth," he added.

"This is the first time something analogous to our solar system has been found," said Kem Cook, one of three LLNL researchers on the team and a pioneer in gravitational microlensing.

"This indicates that our kind of planetary system is relatively common and that in and of itself is exciting," he added.