Scientists unsure about 1st alien moon seen outside Solar System

This news has been read 654 times!

BERLIN, Jan 31, (Agencies): The initial discovery of potential moons around the exoplanets was heralded as a monumental find, suggesting that our solar system’s commonality of planets with natural satellites might extend across the cosmos.

In a groundbreaking study that challenges previous astronomical claims, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) and the Sonnenberg Observatory have cast significant doubt on the existence of giant exomoons orbiting the distant exoplanets Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b.

This revelation comes after meticulous analysis using the newly developed computer algorithm Pandora, which has reshaped the search for these elusive celestial bodies.

The initial discovery of potential moons around these exoplanets was heralded as a monumental find, suggesting that our solar system’s commonality of planets with natural satellites might extend across the cosmos.

However, the new research, published in Nature Astronomy, suggests that “planet-only” interpretations of the data are more likely, upending the notion that two of the over 5300 known exoplanets had moons.

Dr. Rene Heller, the lead author of the study, expressed disappointment in the results, stating, “We would have liked to confirm the discovery of exomoons around Kepler-1625b and Kepler-1708b, but unfortunately, our analyses show otherwise.”

The study’s findings points to the complexity of detecting such distant objects, which are often much smaller than their host planets and obscured by various interstellar factors.

The original claims of exomoons were based on observations from NASA’s Kepler space telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope, which detected what appeared to be signs of giant moons. These moons, if they existed, would have been extraordinary in size — dwarfing all known moons in our solar system.

However, the German researchers’ application of Pandora to the same data sets revealed no conclusive evidence of exomoons, instead offering alternative explanations for the observed light patterns.

Michael Hippke, co-author of the study from the Sonneberg Observatory, emphasized the reduced likelihood of an exomoon orbiting Kepler-1708b, saying, “The data do not suggest the existence of an exomoon around Kepler-1708b.”

The study also highlighted the susceptibility of exomoon search algorithms to false positives, with an estimated 11 percent chance of mistakenly identifying a moon when only a planet is present. This high rate of error underscores the challenges faced by astronomers in this field.

Looking ahead, the researchers predict that any exomoons detectable with current technology would be atypical when compared to those in our solar system. They would need to be exceptionally large and in wide orbits around their planets, making the first confirmed exomoon discoveries likely to be as strange as they are scientifically significant.

This news has been read 654 times!