Scientists have discovered a giant ringed gas planet which is likely caused by a mysterious stellar eclipse. The planet has 50 times mass of Jupiter and it is surrounded by a ring of dust. According to researchers from the University of Warwick, this planet is hurtling around a star more than 1000 light years away from Earth.
A researcher, Hugh Osborn has already identified that light from the young star is regularly blocked by a large object. Now, they predict these eclipses are caused by the orbits of this undiscovered giant planet.
Researchers used the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) and Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) to analyze fifteen years of the star's activity. Surprisingly, they found an interesting object from the data of WASP survey and at the same time they found a second almost identical eclipse in the KELT survey.
As Phys.Org reported, this young star named PDS 110 and lives in Orion constellation. But this planet behaves strangely from time to time. It is slightly larger than the Earth's Sun but now it's reduced to almost 30 percent for about two to three weeks.
Scientists see the light from the star change rapidly which indicates there are rings in the eclipsing object. These rings are much bigger than Saturn's ring, says Leiden astronomer Matthew Kenworthy.
The star is still bright enough and the next eclipse is expected to take place in September this year. Astronomers from all over the world will be able to witness this eclipse and collect new data from it, NDTV reported.
Researcher Hugh Osborn said September study will help them to understand the intricate structure around PDS 110 in detail. There are moons that could be forming in the habitable zone around PDS 110, pointing to the possibility that life could thrive in this system. The next eclipse will also provide the information about the process of formation of this giant exoplanet and its moon.