Weird Alien Planets Stuck in Backwards Orbits Explained

Some hot Jupiter alien planets orbit in a direction opposite to the stellar rotation. This can be caused by gravitational perturbations of another hot Jupiter in the system

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Weird Alien Planets Stuck in Backwards Orbits Explained

Scientists have a new explanation for the mystery of why some alien planets the size of Jupiter or larger travel in the opposite direction of their parent star's spin.

Of the more than 500 alien planets that have so far been discovered, many have turned out to be oddballs. Scientists have found planets with extremely elongated or highly tilted orbits, or planets that follow paths that swing in very close to their parent stars.

The cream of the weird planet crop are so-called hot Jupiters— large gas giant planets that circle extremely close to their stars — that seem to orbit around their stars in the opposite direction of their parent star's spin. About a quarter of all hot Jupiter planets discovered by astronomers seem to be these strange backward-traveling worlds.

Being the geek that I am I was surfing through some of the latest news and info and came across this little Gem. I'm not thoroughly convinced that I believe their explanation. I know many members frequent this forum. I thought I'd toss it out there for discussion.

Also I have never really been satisfied with the explanations as to why Venus and Uranus have such odd Rotations either. So apparently this demonstrates that we still have a lot more to learn about how solar systems have evolved and function.

Thoughts or Speculations?

PEACE

Slay

It's probably Niburu and we're gonna die again.....thanks.

Originally posted by Heartisblack
It's probably Niburu and we're gonna die again.....thanks.

That does qualify as speculation.

reply to post by SLAYER69


Correct me if I'm wrong...
My understanding is planets sometimes have a pole shift.
Could that pole shift change the planets rotation?

well its official then, none of our planets come that close to our sun, that means only OnE ThInG

Wow. . .okay. . .planents of Jupiter's mass and larger have reverse orbits. Is in relation to the rotation of central stars as well? If I missed it, sorry.







8th lline.

reply to post by mamabeth


I'm no expert but I've read some info on pole shifts.
I'm curious as to how fast and or how often do they occur and lastly why?

I've read somewhere a few years back online that they found or have some evidence of Pole shifts occurring here on Earth in it's distant past. But, I don't know how that could possibly create a situation of a planet "orbiting" in the opposite direction of it's Sun?

Originally posted by SLAYER69

Scientists have a new explanation for the mystery of why some alien planets the size of Jupiter or larger travel in the opposite direction of their parent star's spin.

I would like to begin this post, with an admission- I know absolutely nothing.
I am still curious nonetheless.

I didn't know that star's spin.
Do they all spin?
Does our Sun spin?
Is it random from one to the next, or do most spin the same direction and speed?



There are many more jumping around in this little brain, but I will stop with those.

If the planet was not formed with and as the parent star was forming but captured from outside would that make it just as likely to orbit against the spin of the star as with?

Originally posted by BrokenCircles

Originally posted by SLAYER69

Scientists have a new explanation for the mystery of why some alien planets the size of Jupiter or larger travel in the opposite direction of their parent star's spin.

I would like to begin this post, with an admission- I know absolutely nothing.
I am still curious nonetheless.

I didn't know that star's spin.
Do they all spin?
Does our Sun spin?
Is it random from one to the next, or do most spin the same direction and speed?



There are many more jumping around in this little brain, but I will stop with those.

Everything is spinning and moving. Thats how celestial objects form, in a swirling mass of stellar dust called an accretion disk. There's no set direction to spin or move in the universe but planets do tend to follow the same direction of orbit as their star, except in the cases listed in the OP. (Hot jupiters suffering from other large gravitational effects in the system)

reply to post by BrokenCircles


Almost everything spins including our sun. Some people think the universe itself may be spinning.

reply to post by BrokenCircles


(Sorry, SLAYER: www.abovetopsecret.com...)

But, it is in a different forum, so hold on....

@ BC...

Yes, our Sun rotates about its axis. It is the result of the initial rotation of the nascent cloud, then disc, of gas and debris that formed the Solar System, and allowed the Sun to be born, all those billions of years ago.

WIKI, just because it's so darn handy!

Originally posted by Divine Strake
Wow. . .okay. . .planents of Jupiter's mass and larger have reverse orbits. Is in relation to the rotation of central stars as well? If I missed it, sorry.

Well, according to the article apparently so in some fairly recently discovered systems.

News to me.

This kind of thing to happen because of a pole shift is like people spinning in the opposite current in a whirlpool because they did 180. I would say that there might be another large body at play or rather was at play which is gone. It could have traveled through the area causing it to grab the "jupiter" to the opposite spin and then fling it back. It seems like a huge process but it's a... theory.

Originally posted by iforget
If the planet was not formed with and as the parent star was forming but captured from outside would that make it just as likely to orbit against the spin of the star as with?

I've read some speculation about our own SOL system having captured a planet or two.

Intriguing stuff.

reply to post by SLAYER69


Very interesting, thanks for sharing

The explanation seems a little flimsy, but most theories regarding newly observed phenomenon typically start out that way.

Hmm, by no means am I an expert, but what about the possibility that another planetary system, spinning the same direction, collided with the other system. In there collision, a gas giant from each system collides, reversing eachothers orbits?

Just a thought.

reply to post by ZombieJesus


I appreciate the thread participation.

Also great Avatar.

I miss Sagan

Originally posted by SLAYER69

Originally posted by iforget
If the planet was not formed with and as the parent star was forming but captured from outside would that make it just as likely to orbit against the spin of the star as with?

I've read some speculation about our own SOL system having captured a planet or two.

Intriguing stuff.

Yeah it's certainly interesting was reading some stuff from the University of Utah and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory not too long ago about that.

@iforget
Planets captured by other stars wouldn't have to orbit in the same direction, hell they wouldn't even have to orbit in the same plane. but as to the chances of such an occurrence i really have no clue. What i would feel comfortable speculating on however, is that this wouldn't be much of an explanation for the phenomenon in the OP as it would only apply to a couple planets due to the infrequency of something like alien planets being captured by another star.

Originally posted by ZombieJesus
reply to post by SLAYER69

 

Hmm, by no means am I an expert, but what about the possibility that another planetary system, spinning the same direction, collided with the other system. In there collision, a gas giant from each system collides, reversing eachothers orbits?

It's possible, but it would be much more likely that anything caught in that collision of the two spinning circular saws of the two stellar systems would just be flung out in random directions.

reply to post by SLAYER69


Yeah I guess what I am unsure of is why planets should rotate with the spin of the parents star. Is it because we think they form of the same spinning cloud of dust as the star or does the spin of the star influence the orbit of planets?

reply to post by SLAYER69


It's my honor to participate in your thread Slayer Ive really enjoyed your threads recently, they've been a bit more "sciencey", which Im naturally attracted to, lol

And thanks for the kudos on my avy; Sagan was a great great man, and I feel it will be a long time before anybody can fill his shoes, heck, maybe never.

We need somebody like him to once again make science interesting for EVERYONE, bring it back to the mainstream