A Bizarre New System in Space
Astronomers have uncovered one of the strangest planetary systems ever seen. Nicknamed 2M1510, this system appears to include a planet that loops far over the poles of two brown dwarfs—mysterious celestial bodies that are too heavy to be planets but not quite massive enough to ignite like stars. These two brown dwarfs orbit each other closely, while a third one drifts even farther out, orbiting the pair from a great distance.
In most star systems, including our own solar system, planets typically orbit in the same flat plane as their parent star’s equator. The star’s spin also lines up with this orderly layout, creating a calm, pancake-like structure in space where everything moves together. Everyone is “coplanar:” flat, placid, stately.
