Stars with Exoplanets: PSR B1257+12 (original) (raw)

This is a pulsar with a whole planetary system, amongst it the smallest planets discovered so far. And it has a wide dust disk.
Three planets with 0.02 , 4.3 and 3.9 times the mass of Earth are quite close with 0.19 - 0.46 AU distance. A forth mini planet with only 1/5 the mass of Pluto (0.0004 * Earth) is 3-5 AU away.

The conditions in such a system should be so extreme that life there is impossible.
It is nor sure if the planets survived the supernova of the progenitor star (which is hard to imagine!) or formed later.

Constellation: Virgo
Distance: 1500 light-years

Back: List of Exoplanets

A pulsar with dust disk.
Graphic: Nasa