New exoplanet Kepler-88D discovered, has three times more mass than that of Jupiter

A new discovery has been made by a team of astronomers at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy where they found that a previously undetected third exoplanet orbits Kepler-88. Kepler-88 is a star that is similar to the sun of our solar system and was discovered in the year 2013. However, Kepler-88 is a star in the constellation of Lyra and its 3rd exoplanet has been found after Kepler-88 B and Kepler-88 C. Read on to know more about it.

Planet three-times Jupiter's mass discovered

The research was led by author Lauren Weiss, a Beatrice Watson Parrent Postdoctoral Fellow at UH ifA, and her team. The research found out that Kepler-88 D has a mass three times the mass of Jupiter. It has also been found that Kepler-88 D has been more influential in the history of Kepler-88 system.

According to reports from various media portals, it has been found that the newly discovered planet orbits its star every four years. It has also been stated in the research that the orbit of the planet is not circular, instead it is elliptical. As mentioned above, its mass is three times than that of Jupiter, which makes it the most massive one.

Source: Instagram

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The researches on Kepler-88 D gained results and the planet was discovered after six years of radial velocity follow-up. This was conducted from the W. M. Keck Observatory High-Resolution Echelle Spectrometer spectrograph. The newly discovered planet had added a completely new dimension to the understanding of the astronomers of the system. According to author Lauren Weiss, her team has made a game-changing discovery.

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The Kepler-88 system lies more than 1,200 light-years away from Earth. Astronomers have observed that between the alien worlds there lies a striking dynamic which is known as mean-motion resonance. According to Weiss and her team, two orbits that seem to behave in a clockwise fashion are generically efficient and are similar to a motion like when a parent is pushing a child on a swing.

Image Source: Adam Makarenko Instagram

Lauren Weiss has also revealed that for her team, it is important to figure out more about the planet. She further said that they are trying to find out whether Kepler-88 D also has the influence to direct water-bearing comets to the rocky world that are newly-developed.

Animation Credit: W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko

Disclaimer: The new research was published on April 29 in the Astronomical Journal. Details: keckobservatory.org/kepler-88

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Image Credits: Screengrab from the video by Adam Makarenko