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Two suns rise and set over Tatooine, a planet in the film Star Wars, and now a Korean research team has discovered a planetary system just like it.
Drs. Lee Jae-woo and Kim Seung-ri of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and a team led by Prof. Kim Chun-hwui of Chungbuk National University on Thursday said they discovered a planetary system that has two suns has existed since its birth, the first in the world. The teams named it "HW Vir."
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/Courtesy of Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
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In similar planetary systems discovered earlier, one sun draws another passing sun with the force of gravitational attraction.
Dr. Lee's team's report on the latest discovery was carried in the February issue of the Astronomical Journal of the U.S., the most authoritative journal in the field.
According to Dr. Lee's team, the HW Vir planetary system lies about 590 light-years from Earth. "The discovery of the HW Vir planetary system, where two suns have existed from the beginning, will provide a turning point in research on the origin of space," he said.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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