A mysterious star system just 16 light-years away may be hiding habitable planets

Astronomers have solved a 170-year-old planetary mystery in a nearby two-star system, discovering that a mysterious wobble was caused by stellar activity rather than a giant planet. Although Jupiter-sized worlds have been ruled out in key regions, smaller, potentially habitable planets could still be waiting to be discovered just 16 light-years from Earth. A mysterious star system just 16 light-years away may be hiding habitable planets.

Now, researchers have uncovered a surprising explanation for a signal that once suggested a giant planet was hiding there. Although the discovery rules out certain massive planets, it also helps narrow the search for smaller worlds that could potentially support life. Led by the University of Michigan, the new study examined 70 Ophiuchi AB, also known as 70 Oph AB, a nearby binary star system in which two stars orbit each other.

Using an exceptionally sensitive analysis, scientists searched for planets as massive as Jupiter or larger. Instead of finding one, they determined that such planets do not exist within the regions they examined. That result might initially seem disappointing, but it represents an important advance.