| Exoplanetary Scratchpad |
A red dwarf 24.8 ly away in Octans. An L type brown dwarf or planet, 2MASS J21265040-8140293 with 12-15 MJ orbits 6900 AU away. If it is a large planet, this would be the largest known planetary system. This is three times further than the previous record and 140 wider than Pluto's orbit. It likely did not form the way most exoplanets formed. Astronomers speculate they formed 10-45 MYA from a filament of gas that pushed them together in the same direction. They must not have lived in a very dense environment because any nearby star would have disrupted their orbit. The object was discovered in ten years prior to the realization that it was a potential member of the Tucana Horologium Associations. After lithium dating, it was confirmed neither object were a member of any known star group and a link was made between the two objects.
TYC 9486-927-1 System Web Pages[]
TYC 9486-927-1 System In the News[]
Possible Exoplanet in Widest Orbit (2016)[]
- http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35420633
- http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0126/What-an-orphan-planet-can-tell-us-about-how-star-systems-form
- http://www.space.com/31731-rogue-planet-biggest-solar-system-discovery.html