PIA18927: Double Date: Two Pairs of Stars in One System
 Product Size:  1160 x 876 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA18927.tif (3.05 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA18927.jpg (57.54 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

The four stars and one planet of the 30 Ari system are illustrated in this diagram. This quadruple star system consists of two pairs of stars: 30 Ari B and 30 Ari A. A gas giant planet (red) orbits one of the stars in 30 Ari B about once a year. New observations led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, identified the fourth star in the system (green); the three others stars and the planet were previously known. This is the second quadruple star system known to host a planet.

The orbits shown are only approximations and are not as circular as they appear. Distances are not drawn to scale.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Image Addition Date:
2015-03-04