A star much older than the Sun but like in mickle has been find to have a planetary arrangement unlike any we have yet seen : It has at least six flatulence jumbo planets , with two in the habitable zone . To the best of our noesis , biography ca n’t live on planets like these , as their   firm core is so deep inside that atmospheric pressures are phenomenal . However , moons could be a different matter , and we ’ve found yet another configuration in which planetary organization can exist .

HD 34445 is a G0 mavin , just 7 percent heavier than the Sun and slenderly copious in metals . However , at   almost twice the eld ( 8.5 billion years ) , it is more evolved , emit twice as much light and whiff up on route to becoming a red giant star .

Such a familiar - looking star 150 wakeful - class away , which is close on astronomic graduated table , of necessity draw the interest of satellite hunters . watching have been made for 18 long time , enough time to detect the wobble   induce by the orbit of planets further out than Jupiter in our own scheme . The discoveryof one planet in 2010 inspired further interest , and now a unlike team have herald five more onarXiv .

The paper revealing the discovery observe : “ The HD 34445 planetary arrangement … is fundamentally unlike either our own solar scheme … or the Kepler multiple - transit organisation . ” Only Jupiter and Saturn have enough gravitational effect on the Sun as to bring forth wobble of the size we see from HD34445 ’s six planets . The organization Kepler has revealed are made up of planet far more closely packed around the star .

The first of HD 34445 ’s planets to be discovered had an orbit survive almost three years , marking a significant find in finding planets at distances come near those of the flatulence giant in our own Solar System , rather than the “ hot Jupiters ” that dominated former discoveries .

The new discoveries include planets with orbital cavity similar to Venus , Mars , and Mercury , as well as one closer in and another well past Jupiter ’s . There ’s a crack about where the Earth would be , but even if it contained a rough major planet , HD34445 ’s extra light make this realm too hot to sustain swimming water .

All the planets found so far have masses at least as great as Neptune ’s and are therefore almost certainly gun hulk . Whether these major planet have moons declamatory enough to hold onto an atmosphere is inconceivable to severalize , but if they do , the moons of the two appropriately located planet ( known as HB34445b and f by order of find ) would probably have liquid pee at the surface . The orbits seem to be nearly circular , thus avoid the job of where planet ( or their moons ) are alternately boiled and frozen .

Although planetary scientist are aroused about the possibility ofEuropaorEnceladussupporting lifespan , this would have to be in oceans deep beneath their flash-frozen surfaces , and therefore probably limited in its development opportunity .

Unfortunately , as HD34445 eld , it is mother bright and the inhabitable zone transmigrate outward . If sprightliness did develop when the wiz was more static , it would have call for to major planet - hops outwards to outlive .

Most of the planets we come up beyond the Solar System lot stars so distant that they can only be seen with gravid telescope . However , even a pair of binoculars will discover HD 34445b east of Betelgeuse if sky are dark enough .

[ HT : Bad Astronomy ]