News Astronomy

How ‘hot Jupiters’ may get their weirdly tight orbits

Stars and neighboring planets can fling giant worlds toward their suns

illustration of a hot Jupiter orbiting a star

Circling close to its star, a type of planet known as a hot Jupiter (illustrated) might acquire its peculiar orbit after another planet or a star catapults it there.

L. Calçada/ESO

By Ken Croswell

- More than 2 years ago

Strange giant planets known as hot Jupiters, which orbit close to their suns, got kicked onto their peculiar paths by nearby planets and stars, a new study finds.