NASA discovers two planets around a star cluster

U.S. scientists have found indication for the first time that there are planets that can form and survive around stars similar to the sun regardless of forming part of dense clusters of stars, NASA announced.

Astronomers discovered two orbits similar to Jupiter in the Beehive Cluster, a group of about 1,000 stars that seem to swarm around a common center.

"This has been a great puzzle for planet hunters," said Sam Quinn, a doctoral student in Astronomy at Georgia State University in Atlanta, and author of the paper describing the results.

"We know that most stars form in clustered environments, such as the Orion Nebula, so unless that dense environment inhibits the formation of planets, some sun-like stars in open clusters should have planets," said Quinn.

"Now finally we know they are there," he added in a statement.

The discovery allowed astronomers to misplaced, as they had theorized that the gaseous planets cannot form too close to a star because, if not, would evaporate.

The most widespread explanation so far is that planets are formed and then migrate farther inland, closer to the star.

Given the relative youth of the stars of Beehive, the newly discovered planets that could help scientists develop the theory about it.

If the stars are young, that means that planets should be, too, which "establishes a limitation on how fast migrating giant planets inward," said Russel White, principal investigator of the program on the Origins of Solar Systems NASA, which funded the study.