The Unusual Orbit Of Fomalhaut B
Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - 12:10
in Astronomy & Space
The debris disk around nearby star Fomalhaut and a mysterious planet may be clues to a titanic planetary disruption in the system. The debris belt is wider than previously believed, spanning a section of space from 14 to 20 billion miles from the star. And it seems the planet follows an unusual elliptical orbit that carries it on a potentially destructive path through the vast dust ring. The planet, Fomalhaut b, swings as close to its star as 4.6 billion miles, and the outermost point of its orbit is 27 billion miles away from the star, according to recalculations made from newer Hubble observations made last year. read more