• Space survey detects potential objects in binary star systems
• New detection technique opens door to thousands of hidden worlds

A recent astronomical study based on a space survey has revealed 27 “candidate” planets orbiting binary star systems, in a phenomenon reminiscent of the fictional world “Tatooine” from the “Star Wars” saga, where a planet circles two suns instead of one.

According to researchers, this type of planet, known as circumbinary planets, was long considered closer to science fiction, with only 18 such objects confirmed in the past, compared to more than 6,000 planets discovered orbiting single stars.

PhD researcher Margo Thornton from the University of New South Wales explained that traditional planet-hunting methods have been biased toward easier-to-detect worlds, leaving many systems outside the scope of observation until now.

She added that the new technique could open the door to discovering a large number of “hidden” planets, especially those that do not align directly with Earth’s line of sight, helping scientists better understand the true distribution of planets in the universe.

The method used in the study relies on monitoring long-term changes in binary star orbits and analyzing the timing of eclipses between the two stars. Any disturbance in this pattern may indicate the presence of a third object affecting the orbital motion, likely a planet.

Researchers used data from NASA’s TESS space telescope, launched in 2018 to search for exoplanets beyond the solar system.

Scientist Ben Montet from the University of New South Wales said early results show strong potential for discovering more planets using this approach, particularly in environments very different from our own solar system.

The study identified 27 planet candidates out of 1,590 binary systems, suggesting that around 2% of such systems could host potential planets, ranging in size from Neptune-like bodies to planets up to ten times the mass of Jupiter.

Researchers believe these findings could imply the existence of thousands, or even tens of thousands, of undiscovered planets orbiting binary stars, awaiting confirmation in future studies.