Jupiter twin discovered orbiting Sun-like star

Astronomers have discovered a Jupiter-like exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star, bringing scientists closer to finding a Solar System 2.0 - planetary system that mirrors our own.

An international group of astronomers used the European Southern Observatory (ESO)'s 3.6-metre telescope to identify the planet just like Jupiter orbiting at the same distance from a Sun-like star, HIP 11915.

According to current theories, the formation of Jupiter-mass planets plays an important role in shaping the architecture of planetary systems.

The existence of a Jupiter-mass planet in a Jupiter-like orbit around a Sun-like star opens the possibility that the system of planets around this star may be similar to our own Solar System, researchers said.

HIP 11915 is about the same age as the Sun and, furthermore, its Sun-like composition suggests that there may also be rocky planets orbiting closer to the star.

So far, exoplanet surveys have been most sensitive to planetary systems that are populated in their inner regions by massive planets, down to a few times the mass of Earth. This contrasts with our Solar System, where there are small rocky planets in the inner regions and gas giants like Jupiter farther out.

According to the most recent theories, the arrangement of our Solar System, so conducive to life, was made possible by the presence of Jupiter and the gravitational influence this gas giant exerted on the Solar System during its formative years. It would seem, therefore, that finding a Jupiter twin is an important milestone on the road to finding a planetary system that mirrors our own, researchers said.