{"id":246007,"date":"2025-07-04T02:17:47","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T16:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/universe\/exoplanets\/discovery-alert-scientists-spot-a-planetary-carousel\/"},"modified":"2025-07-04T02:17:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T16:17:47","slug":"discovery-alert-scientists-spot-a-planetary-carousel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=246007","title":{"rendered":"Discovery Alert: Scientists Spot a Planetary Carousel"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><video class=\"hds-video-background \" alt=\"In the center of this artist's concept animation is a star against the backdrop of space. Around it orbit two planets, one with blue trailing behind it indicating its orbital path, and the other with a green trail behind it indicating its orbital path. While one planet seems to orbit flatly across the star in front of it, making a transit, the other planet's orbit is tilted and it doesn't cross the star's face.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" autoplay=\"true\" loop muted=\"true\" playsinline=\"true\"><source src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/content\/dam\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/250603_KOI_Anim_v1.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\" \/><\/video><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This artist\u2019s concept animation shows the orbital dynamics of KOI-134 system which, in 2025, a paper revealed to have two planets: KOI-134 b and KOI-134 c.<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\"><strong>NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/K. Miller (Caltech\/IPAC)<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Planets<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>KOI-134 b and KOI-134 c\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=1920&#038;h=1080&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=1920&#038;h=1080&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"This artist's concept shows a star in the upper right-hand corner, a large planet across screen on the left side with a blue trail indicating its orbital path behind it and a smaller planet is seen on the lower right-hand side with a green trail behind it indicating its orbital path.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" loading=\"eager\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=1920&#038;h=1080&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1920w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=300&#038;h=169&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 300w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=768&#038;h=432&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 768w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=1024&#038;h=576&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1024w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=1536&#038;h=864&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1536w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=400&#038;h=225&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 400w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=600&#038;h=338&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 600w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=900&#038;h=506&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 900w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v3.png?w=1200&#038;h=675&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This artist\u2019s concept shows the KOI-134 system which, in 2025, a paper revealed to have two planets: KOI-134 b and KOI-134 c.<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\"><strong>NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/K. Miller (Caltech\/IPAC)<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Discovery<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A new investigation into old Kepler data has revealed that a planetary system once thought to house zero planets actually has two planets which orbit their star in a unique style, like an old-fashioned merry-go-round.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The KOI-134 system contains two planets which orbit their star in a peculiar fashion on two different orbital planes, with one planet exhibiting significant variation in transit times. This is the first-discovered system of its kind.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Details\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Over a decade ago, scientists used NASA\u2019s Kepler Space Telescope to observe the KOI-134 system and thought that it might have a planet orbiting, but they deemed this planet candidate to be a false positive, because its transits (or passes in front of its star) were not lining up as expected. These transits were so abnormal that the planet was actually weeded out through an automated system as a false positive before it could be analyzed further.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, NASA\u2019s commitment to openly sharing scientific data means that researchers can constantly revisit old observations to make new discoveries. In this new study, researchers re-analyzed this Kepler data on KOI-134 and confirmed that not only is the \u201cfalse positive\u201d actually a real planet, but the system has <em>two <\/em>planets and some really interesting orbital dynamics!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First, the \u201cfalse positive\u201d planet, named KOI-134 b, was confirmed to be a warm Jupiter (or a warm planet of a similar size to Jupiter). Through this analysis, researchers uncovered that the reason this planet eluded confirmation previously is because it experiences what are called transit timing variations (TTVs), or small differences in a planet\u2019s transit across its star that can make its transit \u201cearly\u201d or \u201clate\u201d because the planet is being pushed or pulled by the gravity from another planet which was also revealed in this study. Researchers estimate that KOI-134 b transits across its star as much as 20 hours \u201clate\u201d or \u201cearly,\u201d which is a significant variation. In fact, it was so significant that it\u2019s the reason why the planet wasn\u2019t confirmed in initial observations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As these TTVs are caused by the gravitational interaction with another planet, this discovery also revealed a planetary sibling: KOI-134 c. Through studying this system in simulations that include these TTVs, the team found that KOI-134 c is a planet slightly smaller than Saturn and closer to its star than KOI-134 b.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=1920&#038;h=1080&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=1920&#038;h=1080&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"This artist's concept shows a star in the upper right-hand corner, a planet across screen on the left side with a blue trail indicating its orbital path behind it and a smaller planet is seen on the lower right-hand side with a green trail behind it indicating its orbital path.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=1920&#038;h=1080&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1920w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=300&#038;h=169&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 300w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=768&#038;h=432&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 768w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=1024&#038;h=576&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1024w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=1536&#038;h=864&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1536w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=400&#038;h=225&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 400w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=600&#038;h=338&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 600w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=900&#038;h=506&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 900w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/astro\/exo-explore\/2024\/03\/KOI_134_Beauty_v2.png?w=1200&#038;h=675&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This artist\u2019s concept shows the KOI-134 system which, in 2025, a paper revealed to have two planets: KOI-134 b and KOI-134 c.<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\"><strong>NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/K. Miller (Caltech\/IPAC)<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>KOI-134 c previously eluded observation because it orbits on a tilted orbital plane, a different plane from KOI-134 b, and this tilted orbit prevents the planet from transiting its star. The two orbital planes of these planets are about 15 degrees different from one another, also known as a mutual inclination of 15 degrees, which is significant. Due to the gravitational push and pull between these two planets, their orbital planes also tilt back and forth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another interesting feature of this planetary system is something called resonance. These two planets have a 2 to 1 resonance, meaning within the same time that one planet completes one orbit, the other completes two orbits. In this case, KOI-134 b has an orbital period (the time it takes a planet to complete one orbit) of about 67 days, which is twice the orbital period of KOI-134 c, which orbits every 33-34 days.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Between the separate orbital planes tilting back and forth, the TTVs, and the resonance, the two planets orbit their star in a pattern that resembles two wooden ponies bobbing up and down as they circle around on an old-fashioned merry go round.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Fun Facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While this system started as a false positive with Kepler, this re-analysis of the data reveals a vibrant system with two planets. In fact, this is the first-ever discovered compact, multiplanetary system that isn\u2019t flat, has such a significant TTV, and experiences orbital planes tilting back and forth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Also, most planetary systems do not have high mutual inclinations between close planet pairs. In addition to being a rarity, mutual inclinations like this are also not often measured because of challenges within the observation process. So, having measurements like this of a significant mutual inclination in a system, as well as measurements of resonance and TTVs, provides a clear picture of dynamics within a planetary system which we are not always able to see.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Discoverers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A team of scientists led by Emma Nabbie of the University of Southern Queensland published a paper on June 27 on their discovery, \u201cA high mutual inclination system around KOI-134 revealed by transit timing variations,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.us\/v3\/__https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41550-025-02594-8__;!!PvBDto6Hs4WbVuu7!J4U0jcM9rYNfcP3Tgu7RWudGNLgaOu0bBJiXtwjRQDFDRbZVPAv3587ki7R8g3ulvui7BrGBcCDLDUDjgCS-iTei$\" rel=\"noopener\">in the journal \u201cNature Astronomy.\u201d <\/a>The observations described in this paper and used in simulations in this paper were made by NASA\u2019s Kepler Space Telescope and the paper included collaboration and contributions from institutions including the University of Geneva, University of La Laguna, Purple Mountain Observatory, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Southern Queensland, and NASA\u2019s\u00a0retired\u00a0Kepler Space Telescope.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Planets KOI-134 b and KOI-134 c\u00a0 The Discovery A new investigation into old Kepler data has revealed that a planetary system once thought to house zero planets actually has two planets which orbit their star in a unique style, like an old-fashioned merry-go-round.\u00a0 Key Facts The KOI-134 system contains two planets which orbit their [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15636,15904],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-246007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exoplanets","category-gas-giant-exoplanets"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=246007"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":246008,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246007\/revisions\/246008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=246007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=246007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=246007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}