A team led by the University of Michigan has completed an analysis of 70 Ophiuchi AB, a binary star system located approximately 16 light-years from Earth, resolving a longstanding astronomical mystery. The research determined that Jupiter-sized planets do not exist within the examined regions of the system, representing the most sensitive modern search for giant planets in this particular stellar configuration. While this finding excludes certain massive worlds, it leaves open the possibility of discovering smaller planets, including Saturn-sized bodies and rocky worlds that could exist within the system’s habitable zone.
The 70 Oph AB system has intrigued astronomers since 1855, when British astronomer William Jacob proposed it contained a planet, making it the first star system to host an officially proposed exoplanet candidate. Despite more than 170 years of observations, earlier measurements had never completely ruled out the presence of giant planets in the system’s inner regions. The research team, which included scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and other institutions, combined approximately a century of historical measurements with new observations from major telescopes in Chile and Texas.
A key puzzle involved unexplained wobbles detected in measurements of the stars’ radial velocity, changes that could theoretically indicate a Jupiter-sized planet’s gravitational influence. The new analysis revealed that these stellar wobbles resulted from variations in stellar surface activity over time rather than planetary gravity. This discovery resolved the persistent question while simultaneously establishing the orbits of the system’s two stars as among the most precisely understood in the sky.
The findings are particularly significant because roughly half of all stellar systems in the Milky Way contain multiple stars, offering valuable opportunities to study planetary formation and habitability. As the third closest binary star system to Earth, 70 Oph AB is an attractive target for future research. Upcoming NASA missions, including the Habitable World Observatory, could use these new constraints to search for smaller planets currently beyond the reach of present observatories.
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