Six Planets Discovered in Rare Gravitational Resonance

The planets orbit in perfect synchrony, offering insights into planetary evolution and formation

Researchers led by Rafael Luque discovered six planets in a rare gravitational resonance around a smaller, cooler star, stable since the system’s formation, using data from NASA’s TESS and ESA’s CHEOPS.
The planets are in perfect synchronous orbit with each other, offering a glimpse into what a solar system may have looked like billions of years ago.
The innermost planet completes three orbits for every two by its closest neighbor, and the two outermost planets complete an orbit in 41 and 54.7 days, resulting in four orbits for every three.
None of the planets in perfect synchrony are within the star's so-called habitable zone, which means little if any likelihood of life, at least as we know it.
The six planets found so far are roughly two to three times the size of Earth, but with densities closer to the gas giants in our own solar system.