Astronomers observe “satellites” of eight luminous stars in the Milky Way for the first time

Astronomers have observed the “satellites” of eight bright stars in the Milky Way for the first time, using a technique that paves the way for recording planets orbiting their host stars.

Thanks to a combination of data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope, which released the findings Thursday, and the European Southern Observatory’s VLT telescope in Chile, astronomers were able to detect celestial bodies close to the shining stars. .

The VLT’s gravitational interferometer detected light from eight companion stars, seven of which are unknown: three of these “companions” are very small and dim stars, and five are brown dwarfs, also known as “failed stars”, since Celestial Bodies. oscillating between planets and stars, having more mass than the heaviest planets and fainter than the faintest stars.

One of the observed brown dwarfs is located around its parent star at the same distance that separates the Earth from the Sun.

According to astronomers, this was the first time a brown dwarf had been captured so close to its parent star.

Based on the findings, described in a paper published Thursday in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, astronomers intend to use a combination of data from the Gaia space telescope and a gravitational interferometer to track possible satellite planets.

The Gaia telescope aims to map the billions of stars in the Milky Way, while the VLT’s gravitational interferometer captures the finest details of faint bodies.

The Milky Way is the galaxy in which the solar system, of which Earth is a part, is located.