Artistic rendition of Kepler-35, where a Saturn-size planet orbits a pair of Sun-size stars. The discovery of Kepler-34 and Kepler-35 establishes a new class of circumbinary planets' and suggests many millions of such systems exist in our Galaxy.
A circumbinary planet has two suns, not just one. The distances between the planet and stars are continually changing due to their orbital motion, so the amount of sunlight the planet receives varies dramatically. “These planets can have really crazy climates that no other type of planet could have,” said Dr. Jerome Orosz, a co-author from San Diego State University. “It would be like cycling through all four seasons many times per year, with huge temperature changes.” Welsh adds, “The effects of these climate swings on the atmospheric dynamics, and ultimately on the evolution of life on habitable circumbinary planets, is a fascinating topic that we are just beginning to explore.” Artist's website: http://www.liordesign.com
