General / Off-Topic Do You Think There Are Planets Around Alpha Centauri?

[alfa015]

So far, we have only discovered one exoplanet in the triple star system of Alpha Centauri: Proxima b.

I think it is highly likely that there are more exoplanets in that system.

What are your thoughts?

I think this live streaming of Alpha Centauri might motivate you:

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCllBPRrHUE

 

[Morbad]

Is this a livestream of someone's telescope pointed at Alpha Centauri?

Anyway, given that there may well be undiscovered planets in our own solar system--we can eliminate the possibility of planets above a certain size being closer than a certain distance, but little more--it's seems more than plausible that we haven't discovered all exoplanets around any other given star.

 

[Robin of Spiritwood]

Got the mug, not going back!

 

[Chris Simon]

So far, we have only discovered one exoplanet in the triple star system of Alpha Centauri: Proxima b.

I think it is highly likely that there are more exoplanets in that system.

What are your thoughts?

I think this live streaming of Alpha Centauri might motivate you:

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCllBPRrHUE

I think it is not outrageous to imagine that our solar system type of thing is a common occurrence. Meaning there are more stars with a planetary system than there are without.

In fact, if we understand the star formation right (and we have all the reasons to believe that we do), planetary system is a not only common but an inevitable byproduct.
We have found thousands of exoplanets wherever we looked, so far and we are really crap at looking for them! And in those couple instances where we didn't find an exoplanet where we were looking, it probably simply means that the system's ecliptic is oriented in such a way that the planets don't cross their star from our POV.

So my personal opinion is that most stars do have a system of planets.

 

[Martin Afonso]

https://www.iac.es/es/divulgacion/n...mas-cercana-con-una-precision-sin-precedentes

Eden confirmed.

 

[Patrick_68000]

In fact, if we understand the star formation right (and we have all the reasons to believe that we do), planetary system is a not only common but an inevitable byproduct.

Yes there is undoubtedly a lot of projection of matter during the hatching of the star.

 

[Chris Simon]

Yes there is undoubtedly a lot of projection of matter during the hatching of the star.

I'd even say that we could call the whole process "star system formation" instead of "star formation" because I really think that the occasions where the WHOLE protostellar dust cloud ends up in the star are very rare.

 

[Patrick_68000]

I'd even say that we could call the whole process "star system formation" instead of "star formation" because I really think that the occasions where the WHOLE protostellar dust cloud ends up in the star are very rare.

I even wonder if it is possible that a star is absolutely alone, without even a small stone around.

 

[Chris Simon]

I even wonder if it is possible that a star is absolutely alone, without even a small stone around.

I guess if it's old or massive enough, everything around it could have simply ground itself back into the dust, but as far as creation of the star goes, no, that doesn't seem possible that there would be nothing left around it.

 

[Patrick_68000]

I guess if it's old or massive enough, everything around it could have simply ground itself back into the dust, but as far as creation of the star goes, no, that doesn't seem possible that there would be nothing left around it.

Yes, seems logical and cartesian.

 

[Shinji Ikari]

I even wonder if it is possible that a star is absolutely alone, without even a small stone around.

Without even a small stone? No that's not possible, stars form by the collapse of gas / dust clouds and although most of the gas is dissipated after the formation of the star, there is plenty of time for clumps to form into planets, asteroids, rocks, etc within the protoplanetary disk.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Without even a small stone? No that's not possible, stars form by the collapse of gas / dust clouds and although most of the gas is dissipated after the formation of the star, there is plenty of time for clumps to form into planets, asteroids, rocks, etc within the protoplanetary disk.

That’s what I thought. Thank you for confirming.