Astronomers have made a unique discovery by detecting an exoplanet orbiting a binary brown dwarf star system at a 90-degree angle, called a polar orbit, Gizmodo reports, citing Science Advances.
This system, known as 2M1510, is extremely rare and consists of two brown dwarfs that shadow each other when observed from Earth.
The exoplanet, named 2M1510(AB) b, was discovered using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. This is the first time that scientists have documented conclusive evidence of a polar planet orbiting a binary star system perpendicularly. The study confirms that the exoplanet's gravity influences the orbital trajectories of brown dwarfs.
The discovery came as a surprise to the researchers, as their observations were not aimed at finding such a planet. Scientists believe that this configuration could change our understanding of how planets and stellar systems form.