Astronomers in the United States may have discovered an ‘odd’ Jupiter-sized planet 200 million light years away. This particular planet, named planet HD 80606b, follows a highly eccentric orbit. An eccentric orbit is defined as an orbit of a celestial body that deviates markedly from a circle. Here is a visual example to demonstrate:
Image Credit: JPL/NASA
Notice the orbit of planet Eris compared to Pluto, Neptune, Saturn, and Uranus.
The cause of planet HD 80606b’s highly eccentric orbits suggests that a companion star might exist. The companion star theory postulates that a binary star system exists and that it consists of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter one is known as the primary star, whereas the other one is known as the companion star. Here is a visual example to demonstrate:
Image Credit: http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/images/binary_star_orbit.gif
In the case of planet HD 80606 b, researchers believe that its eccentric orbit might be “caused by gravitational forces from a companion star.” Planet HD 80606 b orbits Planet HD 80606; the companion Planet HD 80606 b is in a binary orbit with the primary Planet HD 80607. Furthermore, “the planet’s orbit is not aligned with the star’s rotation” and therefore “is consistent with the theory of a nearby companion star.” Astronomers managed to catch a glimpse at planet HD 80606b eclipse the star it orbits planet HD 80607.
