Rare Exoplanet Orbits Two Stars at a Wild 90-Degree Angle

In 2018, astronomers discovered a pair of brown dwarf stars orbiting each other in a rare system known as an eclipsing binary. Further observations show that the binary, named 2M1510, is even more unique than previously believed. Researchers are reporting the discovery of an exoplanet, named 2M1510 (AB) b, orbiting its host star at an angle of 90 degrees—called a polar orbit—in relation to the brown dwarfs’ orbital plane. The discovery, made with the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT), is the first time scientists have documented strong evidence of a “polar planet” orbiting a stellar pair, as detailed in a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. “A planet orbiting not just a binary, but a binary brown dwarf, as well as being on a polar orbit is rather incredible and exciting,” Amaury Triaud, a co-author of the study and an astronomer at the University of Birmingham in the UK, said in an ESO statement. As of now, astronomers have disco ... Read full article.