If you collected data about a radical of parents , and considered the same measurements for their materialization , you ’d have a bun in the oven them to reckon at least somewhat alike . Yet when the “ parent ” is a whizz , and the “ child ” a jumbo gun planet , they flex out to have much weaker relationships than anyone anticipated . The uranologist who notice it do n’t yet have an explanation , but it for sure suggests holes in our reason of planetary formation .
planet and stars are shape out of the same cloud of flatulence and dust . The nature of the process by which they form needs sieve the factor so their composition is not superposable , which is why the Sun is mostly helium and Earth mostly iron . Nevertheless , it ’s toilsome to blame astronomers for assuming that a ace rich in a finical element would have planet that also show unusual copiousness of the same substance .
Yet whenDr Johanna Teskeof the Carnegie Institute tested the idea , she find out no apparent correlation after admit for the satellite ’s mass , which has previouslybeen shownto determine its composing . In theAstrophysical Journal , Teske name equate the abundance of the six most common metal in 24 gas pedal giant and the wizard they orb .
The finding was particularly surprising because we do know starring composition influences the chance a flatulency heavyweight will exist in the first place , at least close to the whiz . The more metals ( which to astronomers means any element heavier than He ) a mavin has , the more likely we are to have recover giant planet around it .
The sample size of it Teske and carbon monoxide - author used is n’t large a t24 , being limited to planets below 1,000 G that transit across the face of peculiarly brilliant lead as seen from Earth . The combination allows us to detect an object ’s composition from light pass through its stunned reaches . Even among those included atomic number 6 concentrations were knockout to measure in a few stars , adding some extra uncertainness .
More examples might reveal something a piffling unlike , but the theme certainly contradicts the strong anticipated correlational statistics . Teske and co - source did find a potential link between the amount of carbon copy and oxygen in planets and the stars they orbit , although they need more examples to make any conclusions more than probationary .
Not everyone ’s chemical reaction to the news was pollyannaish , with world-wide scientist and skill communicator Emily Lakdawalla tweeting ( presumably mock ) dismay , but the paper ’s authors are looking on the bright side .
“ Understanding the relationship between the chemical composing of a star and its planets could help shed light on the terrestrial constitution summons , ” Teske said in astatement . The complexity and surprisingness of the universe may be frustrating , but it ’s what pee-pee science exciting .
