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Broad search
When the European Space Agency launches its satellite antenna (LISA), a satellite network built to detect the gravitational wave ripples emitted by the fusion of black holes, it could also uncover thousands of new exoplanets.
Currently, all 4,000 exoplanets discovered by astronomers are near our solar system – the furthest is only 27,700 light-years away. But at the launch of LISA in 2034, it will be much more sensitive than any existing tool for tracking exoplanets, according to American scientist. In fact, it could potentially locate exoplanets not only throughout our Milky Way, but also in neighboring galaxies.
First candidates
But there are caveats. More precisely, LISA will be able to detect only the exoplanets representing at least 50 times the mass of the Earth – and which revolve around a particular type of binary star system, according to a study published Monday in the review. Nature Astronomy.
While the binary stars revolve around each other, their center of mass is shaken by the gravity of any exoplanet in orbit. This back and forth back and forth from the center point of the star system creates undulating waves that LISA could detect.
It also means, by Sciam, that the satellite network will not be able to find exoplanets in orbit to form solitary stars – nor to know if one of these extraterrestrial worlds is really habitable.
READ MORE: Future gravitational wave detectors could also find exoplanets[[[[American scientist]
More on gravitational waves: Scientists have just detected a black hole devouring a neutron star
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