A planet orbits two stars at a nearly 90-degree angle
In short: While many planets orbit binary star systems in flat planes, astronomers have just confirmed the first polar circumbinary planet. This world doesn't just share its suns; it loops over and under them like a spinning top, defying the standard rules of how planetary systems are expected to form.
The discovery of 2M1510 (AB) b, confirmed in April 2025, marks a significant milestone in exoplanet research. While other "Tatooine-like" planets exist, they typically orbit within the same flat plane as their parent stars—the same way Earth orbits our sun. This is because star systems usually form from flattened disks of gas and dust, where matter naturally collects along that single plane. Finding a planet orbiting at a nearly 90-degree angle to that disk is mathematically possible but has never been observed until now.
Situated roughly 120 light-years away from our world, this setup comprises a pair of brown dwarfs—bodies exceeding planetary size yet lacking sufficient mass to trigger hydrogen fusion as actual stars do. These "failed stars" are incredibly young, estimated at just 45 million years old, which is roughly 1/100th the age of our Sun. The planet was discovered serendipitously by the SPECULOOS project while researchers were actually studying the brown dwarfs themselves.
The detection relied on observing gravitational "wobbles." Astronomers noticed that the two brown dwarfs were moving in reverse: their orbits were shifting in the opposite direction of their orbital motion. This anomaly could only be explained by a third body—the planet 2M1510 (AB) b—providing constant gravitational nudges from its unique polar position. This discovery provides some of the most direct evidence yet for the existence of these elusive, high-angle planetary architectures.
This find is particularly significant because only 16 exoplanets had ever been confirmed to orbit binary pairs before this discovery. By studying how a planet can maintain such a bizarre orientation around two brown dwarfs, scientists can gain deeper insights into the rare and complex mechanisms of planet formation in non-traditional environments.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Astronomers Find Tattoine Planet Orbiting Two Stars In 'Star Wars'-Like Twist!
- Also: Bizarre ‘Tatooine’ exoplanet orbits two failed stars at once
- Also: ‘Tatooine’-like planet orbits two stars ― but at a weird angle
- Also: www.space.com — Astronomers discover images of rare Tatooine-like exoplanet with a strange 300-year orbit:
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