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Author Topic: Planets orbiting giant stars.  (Read 3218 times)

Dartz

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Planets orbiting giant stars.
« on: May 16, 2012, 01:53:32 PM »
When astronomers search for planets orbiting other stars, they usually look for lower mass stars like our sun and red dwarfs. Is it possible to detect planets orbiting giant stars, such as Betelgeuse or VY Canis Major? If so, have any been detected.

If they haven't been, what would such a system be like? Would it be more likely to form more planets, since it came from a bigger gas cloud? And, would any planets form far enough away to remain intact after the supernova?

I know it would be pointless for life, considering the slow process of evolution, this is just a curiosity. 

vh

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Re: Planets orbiting giant stars.
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2012, 02:13:09 PM »
It is harder to find planets by measuring gravitational wobble around a larger star because, it is, well, larger, which usually means it weighs more and wobbles less.
But apparently, yes.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081118141712.htm

smjjames

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Re: Planets orbiting giant stars.
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2012, 03:20:30 PM »
Well, planets seem to form wherever they can, including possibly around the debris left over from a supernova (see Pulsar planets), although those might be the remnant cores of gas giants.

Given the violence of a supernova, any terrestrial sized planets would be incinerated, but the cores of gas giants might be able to survive.

FiahOwl

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Re: Planets orbiting giant stars.
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2012, 08:33:12 PM »

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« Last Edit: March 22, 2021, 01:54:59 AM by FiahOwl »