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Speediest exoplanet found near Milky Way center?
- Astronomers have discovered a potentially speedy exoplanet system near the center of the Milky Way galaxy, consisting of a red dwarf star and a super-Neptune exoplanet, moving at 1.2 million miles per hour.
- The system was first found in 2011 and the findings were published in The Astronomical Journal on February 10, 2025.
- The discovery was made through a microlensing survey, where two possible scenarios were considered: a star with a planet or a rogue planet with a moon.
- Observations using data from the Keck Observatory and the Gaia satellite supported the theory of a star and planet in the system.
- The astronomers identified a low-mass red dwarf star around 24,000 light-years away, potentially orbiting a super-Neptune planet near the galactic bulge.
- There is a possibility that the exoplanet system could be moving even faster, potentially exceeding 1.3 million miles per hour and reaching escape velocity from the galaxy.
- Confirmation is still needed to establish the connection between the star and the 2011 microlensing signal.
- Future observations from NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will aid in detecting more high-velocity stars and planets.
- In 2014, sun-like stars moving fast enough to escape the galaxy were reported, and in recent years, other speedy stars moving in unusual directions have been found.
- Overall, this discovery represents one of the fastest exoplanet systems known, showcasing the remarkable speed at which celestial bodies can travel in our galaxy.
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