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9mo ago

Astronomers Discover Triple Star System with Record-Breaking Orbital Period

TIC 290061484 features a third star orbiting its inner pair every 25 days, setting a new record for the shortest known outer orbital period.

This artist’s concept illustrates how tightly the three stars in the TIC 290061484 system orbit each other. If they were placed at the center of our solar system, all the stars’ orbits would be contained a space smaller than Mercury’s orbit around the Sun. The sizes of the triplet stars and the Sun are also to scale. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
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Overview

  • The discovery was made using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and confirmed by a team of professional and amateur astronomers.
  • TIC 290061484 is located in the constellation Cygnus, approximately 4,954 light-years from Earth.
  • The system's compact, edge-on configuration allows scientists to measure the orbits, masses, sizes, and temperatures of its stars.
  • The research, led by Dr. Veselin Kostov, was published in The Astrophysical Journal, highlighting the potential for more such discoveries.
  • NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to further enhance the study of star systems with its high-resolution capabilities.