Artist’s impression of an exoplanet in a retrograde orbit

Up to now it was expected that exoplanets would all orbit in more or less the same plane, and that they would move along their orbits in the same direction as the star’s rotation — as they do in our Solar System. However, new results unexpectedly show that many exoplanets actually orbit at a large angle to their star’s spin axis. In the case shown here (WASP 8b) the orbit is completely reversed, or retrograde.

Credit:

ESO/L. Calçada

Over de afbeelding

Id:eso1016a
Type:Ontwerp
Publicatiedatum:13 april 2010 12:00
Gerelateerde berichten:eso1016
Grootte:3000 x 2120 px

Over het object

Naam:WASP 8b
Type:Milky Way : Star : Circumstellar Material : Planetary System
Afstand:280 lichtjaren
Categorie:Exoplanets
Illustrations

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