Then in 2007, infrared observations with the Spitzer Space telescope showed evidence of a dusty disc of cosmic debris surrounding star Zeta 2, the same sort of disc out of which planets could potentially form. An artist’s impression of the Spitzer Space Telescope. It had seemingly been detected due to observations of the star’s wobble (which can often be attributed to the gravitational pull of a planet in orbit around a star), but this was eventually retracted. In 1996, astronomers announced the potential presence of a so-called ‘hot Jupiter’ exoplanet – a gas giant similar to Jupiter but much closer to its star than Jupiter is to the Sun – in orbit around Zeta 2. Credit: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech – –īecause the stars are similar to our Sun, if an Earth-like planet were in orbit around the stars at the right distance, liquid water might be able to pool on that planet’s surface, and the conditions might be right for life as we know it to flourish. These are exoplanets similar to Jupiter in our own Solar System, but orbiting much closer to their host star. Are there planets around Zeta Reticuli? An artist’s conception of a hot Jupiter. ![]() ![]() It is slightly brighter at magnitude +5.22 and is a yellow dwarf of class G2. Zeta 2 is about 99% the mass and 99% the radius of the Sun. It is a yellow main sequence star of class G3 with a magnitude or brightness of +5.52 (for more on this, read our guide to stellar spectral classifications and stellar magnitude). ![]() Zeta 1 Reticuli has a mass equal to about 96% that of the Sun, and a radius about 92% of the Sun. What makes these stars really interesting is that, relatively speaking, they are much like our own Sun, making them so-called solar analogs and of interest to astronomers who can compare them to our Solar System’s host star. The stars orbit a common centre of gravity over a period that is likely more than 170,000 Earth years, and are thought to be between 1.5 and 3 billions years old. The two stars, Zeta 1 (ζ1) Reticuli and Zeta 2 (ζ2) Reticuli are located just over 39 lightyears from Earth and are separated from each other by a distance of at least 3,750 Astronomical Units (AU), where 1 AU is the average distance between Earth and the Sun. Credit: Pete Lawrence / BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Zeta Reticuli (left), the constellation Reticulum and the Large Magellanic Cloud, captured in 2013 by Pete Lawrence from Paranal, Chile. Zeta Reticuli can be seen clearly as a double star even with the naked eye, provided you’re viewing it under properly dark skies. Unfortunately this means that the Zeta Reticuli binary pair cannot be seen from the UK, but it’s certainly worth seeking out if you find yourself under the southern hemisphere sky looking for celestial objects that would otherwise be out of range. Zeta Reticuli is a binary star system that can be found in the constellation of Reticulum and is visible in the night sky from the southern hemisphere. Please report posts/comments which break Reddiquette or our rules.Zeta Reticuli: facts about the binary star sytem Off-topic political discussion may be removed at moderator discretion.Low effort, toxic comments regarding public figures may be removed.Meta-posts must be posted in r/ufosmeta.Common Question posts must include a link to the previous question thread if previously asked.Submissions with in the title have stricter post length and quality guidelines.Link posts must include a submission statement (comment on your own post).Do not post more than two times within any 24-hour period. ![]() Titles must accurately represent the content of the submission.UFOS WIKI r/UFOs Discord r/UFOs Twitter Investigate a Sighting Report a Sighting We aim to elevate good research while maintaining healthy skepticism. Share your sightings, experiences, news, and investigations. A community for discussion related to Unidentified Flying Objects.
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