Solar system out of whack

Ann · Post by **Ann** » Tue Oct 22, 2013 2:31 pm

Image credit: Image credit: NASA GSFC/Ames/D. Huber

Solar systems out there seem to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. One of many weird ones is Kepler-56. The planets transit the star, so we see the orbital plane of the system edge-on, so to speak.

Yes, but the axis of star itself isn't perpendicular to the orbital plane of the planetary system! It is tilted about 45 degrees to our line of sight!

: Click to view full size image

The explanation may be that the star and its planets have been disturbed by a third body in the solar system.

Read more here.

Ann