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* Discovery: A system of four planets orbiting a star was discovered in 2019 using data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope.
* Planet Sizes: One planet is roughly Jupiter-sized, and the other three are between the sizes of Neptune and Saturn.
* Unique Configuration: The system is unusual as it has multiple oversized planets in relatively tight orbits. This is only seen in one other known system, Kepler-51.
* Research Method: Researchers spent nearly a decade observing the planets using six telescopes, tracking their “transits” (passages in front of the star) to determine their size and orbital period. Transits cause slight dips in the star’s light.
* Gravitational Interactions: Small variations in the timing of the transits, caused by the planets’ gravitational pull on each other, were crucial for understanding the planets’ properties.
