Kepler - 56 Prepairing For a Great Meal

In 2012  Kepler-56 was discovered. Planets Kepler-56b and Kepler-56c were subsequently confirmed.  The Kepler 56 planetary system is a bit odd however.  First, it was discovered that the orbits of its two planets are about 45° misaligned to the host star's equator. Even weirder is the possibility of a "ghost" planet in the mix.  The scientists though are calling it a gravitational perturbator.   Mainly because it is not clear if it is a nearby star or a third planet.

That would be enough strangeness for several star systems, but Kepler 56 has been exciting the
astrophysicists.   Kepler 56, roughly 1 Sol mass, is going off main sequence and becoming a red giant.  In doing so, it will engulf its two closest in planets Kepler-56b and Kepler-56c.  But wait...there's more!

From the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysic, the lead author on the paper of this discovery, Gongjie Li said:

• "As far as we know, this is the first time two known exoplanets in a single system have a predicted 'time of death,"

The prediction is for the event to happen soon, by astronomical standards. Their ends will come in 130 million and 155 million years, respectively.

Since Kepler 56 is so much like our sun that these observations  provides a glimpse into the future of our solar system.

Wikipedia link HERE       Phys.org link HERE

"As far as we know, this is the first time two known exoplanets in a single system have a predicted 'time of death,'" says lead author Gongjie Li of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-06-star-swallow-planets.html#jCp

"As far as we know, this is the first time two known exoplanets in a single system have a predicted 'time of death,'" says lead author Gongjie Li of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-06-star-swallow-planets.html#jCp

"As far as we know, this is the first time two known exoplanets in a single system have a predicted 'time of death,'" says lead author Gongjie Li of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-06-star-swallow-planets.html#jCp