Two planets revolving around a sun-like star have been discovered by a team of Brazilian astronomers.
The star, known as HIP 684468, is surrounded by two new planets dubbed as Super Neptune and Super Earth. The planetary bodies were discovered at the European Southern Observatory located in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
Jorge Melendez, head researcher and professor at the University of Sao Paulo, said that the team's primary objective was to make a comparison of the solar system with other planetary systems.
Melendez added that the planetary environment of HIP 68468 is different from the solar system. However, the overall mass of the two planets are similar to Earth and Neptune.
The two planets have a rotational axis close to their sun-like star. This has led to a theory that these planets had migrated from an outer region of their planetary system.
By comparison, Super Earth, otherwise known as HIP 68468b, has an orbit barely three percent of the distance from the Earth to Sun. With an estimated age of six billion years, the planet also has a mass three times larger than Earth's mass.
Super Neptune, known as HIP 68468c, has a mass heavier than Neptune. The orbit of HIP 68468c comprises 70 percent of the distance from Earth to Sun.
The two planets are glued to HIP 68468, with an estimated age of six billion years. The research team also discovered that the star has a high content of lithium, which led to another theory that the star engulfed a planet. Lithium is typically abundant in planets and not in stars.