Scientists Spot HD 143811 b, a Massive Planet Glowing Under the Light of Two Suns

Astronomers discover HD 143811 b, a rare Tatooine-like planet orbiting two suns. This giant, scorching young world offers new insights into how planets form in binary star systems and may reshape the search for Earth-like exoplanets.

In a discovery straight out of Star Wars, astronomers have confirmed a rare world that orbits not one, but two suns much like Tatooine. The planet, named HD 143811 b, sits 446 light years from Earth and was identified after scientists revisited data collected between 2016 and 2019. The finding, published in independent studies by teams from the University of Exeter and Northwestern University, offers one of the clearest looks yet at how planets evolve in complex multi star environments.

A Giant World With Twin Suns

HD 143811 b is a gas giant made mostly of hydrogen and helium, and it’s enormous around six times the mass of Jupiter. What makes it even more remarkable is its orbit. Although it sits a vast 80 times farther from its suns than Earth does from ours, this still makes it six times closer than any previously imaged planet circling a binary star system.

Despite its distant orbit, the planet’s atmosphere is blisteringly hot at 730°C, still radiating leftover heat from its formation. Scientists estimate the planet is only 13 million years old, practically a cosmic infant. For comparison, the dinosaurs disappeared about 65 million years ago.

How Scientists Found This Hidden World

The discovery wasn’t made with a new telescope but through meticulous re-analysis of old observations. Researchers noticed a faint object moving in perfect sync with one of the stars. That motion strongly hinted it was gravitationally bound likely a planet rather than a random background star.

To confirm, astronomers secured new telescope time in Chile earlier this year. Within an hour of capturing fresh images, they proved the object was indeed a new exoplanet orbiting both stars in a wide 300 year orbit while the twin suns whirl around each other every 18 days.

A Window Into Planet Formation

Planets orbiting binary stars are exceptionally rare, and even fewer have ever been directly imaged. HD 143811 b now provides a valuable benchmark for understanding how such worlds come into existence. Scientists hope this discovery will eventually help answer bigger questions like whether Earth like planets could survive in these dramatic two sun systems.

As more Tatooine style worlds are uncovered, astronomers believe the universe may be far stranger and more cinematic than we ever imagined.