Scientists spot very strange solar system moving in unusual ‘rhythm’

Astronomers have found a “very special” solar system with six planets that are locked in a strange rhythm.

The worlds move around their central stars in resonance, locked in a rhythmic dance as they move around their orbits.

As well as representing a glimpse at a very unusual planetary system, researchers hope that the set of worlds – moving around a star known as TOI-178, some 200 lightyears away – could shed light on how planets including those in our solar system are born and evolve.

In contrast to the unusual rhythmic order of the planets as they move around the Sun, the planets themselves are very much out of the expected order, scientists said.