Rahul Rao is a graduate of New York University's SHERP and a freelance science writer, regularly covering physics, space, and infrastructure. His work has appeared in Gizmodo, Popular Science, Inverse, IEEE Spectrum, and Continuum. He enjoys riding trains for fun, and he has seen every surviving episode of Doctor Who. He holds a masters degree in science writing from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP) and earned a bachelors degree from Vanderbilt University, where he studied English and physics.
Such is the fate of the purported planet HD 131399 Ab, which scientiststo have three suns. When astronomers tried to look at the planet again, they found that it was actually something entirely different and far in the background masquerading as an exoplanet. Now, the astronomers who originally found the planet are retracting their discovery.The HD 131399 star system lies about 350 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Centaurus.
"It must be a very red star — probably a red giant, and maybe even one with a disk." Kevin Wagner, an astronomer at the University of Arizona and one of HD 131399 Ab's would-be discoverers, told Space.com. That red color would have made the star look deceptively like a planet, he noted. Additionally, this distant star apparently moves abnormally quickly, hence it appearing to match pace with a much nearer star system. This discrepancy suggests that some phenomenon gave the star a boost — perhaps it was ejected from its host system or experienced a close encounter with another system, scientists think.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New ‘brain machine’ will scan space for alien signalsThe upcoming Square Kilometer Array will give us access to a super-powerful radio telescope capable of detecting alien radio signals.
Read more »
‘The Last of Us’: Pedro Pascal Says HBO Series Is “In Good Hands” Like ‘The Mandalorian’Pedro Pascal compares HBO's 'The Last of Us' adaptation to 'The Mandalorian,' saying the series is 'in good hands.'
Read more »
Team behind discovery of planet with three stars retracts their articleAn international team of researchers who published a paper in the journal Science in 2016 describing their discovery of an exoplanet with three stars, has now retracted that paper.
Read more »
Scientists spot elusive mini red giant stars, victims of stellar stealingAstronomers are blaming a 'greedy neighbor.'
Read more »
How the Titanic was taken down by a mirageUnusual atmospheric conditions led to a most historic end for the star-crossed White Star liner.
Read more »
Ex-Cubs Star Kris Bryant Saw ‘Stars' Manager Potential David RossDavid Ross’ Cubs faced former teammate Kris Bryant Thursday for the first time since Bryant signed his megadeal with the Rockies.
Read more »