Monster Planet is "Dancing with the Stars" (VIDEO)
Caption
A team of scientists has discovered a highly unusual planetary system comprised of a sun-like star, a dwarf star, and an enormous planet "dancing" in between.
The dwarf star and the planet have been gravitationally influencing each other for millions of years. Specifically, the planet's eccentricity (the amount it deviates from being perfectly circular) and orbital inclination, meaning its angle relative to the equatorial plane of the primary star, have been oscillating back and forth in a process known as Kozai oscillations -- and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The oscillations are illustrated in this video.
Credit
Timothy Rodigas
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