Jupiter-like planets might be common in a low-density environment.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37848416.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-41665-0 and PMC identifier 10582043.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Radial velocity surveys suggest that the Solar System may be unusual and that Jupiter-like planets have a frequency < 20% around solar-type stars. However, they may be much more common in one of the closest associations in the solar neighbourhood. Young moving stellar groups are the best targets for direct imaging of exoplanets and four massive Jupiter-like planets have been already discovered in the nearby young β Pic Moving Group (BPMG) via high-contrast imaging, and four others were suggested via high precision astrometry by the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite. Here we analyze 30 stars in BPMG and show that 20 of them might potentially host a Jupiter-like planet as their orbits would be stable. Considering incompleteness in observations, our results suggest that Jupiter-like planets may be more common than previously found. The next Gaia data release will likely confirm our prediction.