Chile: Astronomers discover Jupiter doppelgänger in distant solar system

If the astroboffinry world has got its ideas on planetary formation right, it is these systems which are most likely to yield up the long-sought new Earths with their possible habitable environments, alien life, colonisation possibilities etc.

An artist’s impression showing a newly discovered Jupiter twin gas giant orbiting the solar twin star, HIP 11915.

The star HIP 11915 appears to be also similar in mass to our Sun and around the same age.

The researchers also noted that the discovery of similar solar system just like ours could be a vital element in the formation of planets that can host life.

A team of worldwide astronomers were able to identify a planet with a “very similar mass to Jupiter” and orbiting a sun-like star, The star was named HIP 11915, according to CNet.

‘This discovery is, in every respect, an exciting sign that other solar systems may be out there waiting to be discovered.’. “We are thrilled to be part of this cutting-edge research, made possible by the observational facilities provided by ESO”, said Jorge Melendez, of the Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, the leader of the team and co-author of the paper.

Scientists are in the quest to find another “super Earth” including twin counterparts of the rest of the planets in the solar system since they believe that during one point in time in the universe, many planets including stellar systems were nearly identical to our own. This massive exoplanet is not only roughly the same size as Jupiter as well as approximately the same distance from its parent star, but the alien world also seems to have a similar composition to its “twin”.

The significance, the team notes, is that current theories suggest Jupiter is the key to our solar system’s organization and creation. This is due to the significant gravitational pull on their stars as well as the amount of light that can be blocked by the planet if its orbit is aligned with the Earth.

Scientists may have found a complete Solar System 2.0

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According to Megan Bedell from the University of Chicago, after 20 years of hunting for exoplanets, gas giant planets are slowly emerging into existence that are strikingly similar to our own solar system, courtesy of advanced technology such as the HARPS instrument.

As additional exoplanets continue to be discovered by astronomers, more worlds like these, and perhaps like Earth, could be found in the far reaches of space.

Jupiter has a twin brother, and it’s closer that you would think.