Artist’s animation of the TOI-178 orbits and resonances (sound on!)

This animation shows a representation of the orbits and movements of the planets in the TOI-178 system. New research by Adrien Leleu and his colleagues with several telescopes, including ESO’s Very Large Telescope, has revealed that the system boasts six exoplanets and that all but the one closest to the star are locked in a rare rhythm as they move in their orbits (represented in orange). In other words, they are in resonance. This means that there are patterns that repeat themselves rhythmically as the pl