Tatooine has competition – Astronomers discover closest-orbiting twin stars ever!

(Image for representational purposes only)

New Delhi: Remember Tatooine? All you Star Wars freaks will surely be familiar with the planet that is home to Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker in the legendary Star Wars franchise.

However, it seems like Tatooine may be in for some serious competition! Yes, the fictional planet has unceremoniously been taken over by a trio of giant planets orbiting a pair of stellar 'twins' that resemble our sun!

Astronomers have made the amazing discovery of a new binary star – a star system where two suns orbit around a common centre of mass, much like the planetary neighbourhood which has appeared in the Star Wars franchise.

And that's not where the surprise ends! As per reports, these stars, called HD 133131A and HD 133131B, are two of the closest-orbiting twin stars that scientists have ever found in a binary system where both the stars host planets.

They were found to circle each other at an extremely close distance – just 33.5 billion miles apart.

HD 133121A has two planets – one around 1.5 times the size of Jupiter and another half the size of Jupiter – both of which orbit it in an unusual eccentric elliptical way. Its twin hosts a third planet that is 2.5 times the mass of Jupiter.

Because of the close proximity of the two suns orbiting each other, astronomers and scientists expect them to be scorched worlds.

Astronomers studying the strange solar system firmly believe it could help reveal how the structure of planetary systems can be influenced by Jupiter-like large planets.

"We are trying to figure out if giant planets like Jupiter often have long and, or eccentric orbits," said lead researcher Johanna Teske. "If this is the case, it would be an important clue to figuring out the process by which our Solar System formed, and might help us understand where habitable planets are likely to be found,” Science Alert reported.