New Study: A World-Sized Planet With Two Suns Could Exist 16 Light Years Away

Author / Editor: Cem Yıldız•12 October 2026

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A new study, which demonstrates that a planet orbiting around two suns could exist in the habitable zone on stable orbits of world-size, was conducted in the 70 Ophiuchi (70 Oph AB) binary star system, located 16 light-years away. The study also revealed that no Jupiter-mass giant planets exist in this system. Stephen Kane, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), said, “You might think that the second star would come in like a wrecking ball and make it impossible for a world-size planet to exist in the habitable zone. But these simulations show that this is not necessarily the case.”

The second successful method for finding planets, the RV method, is responsible for the discovery of more than 1,200 exoplanets. This method measures tiny variations in the speed of a star caused by the gravitational pull of another celestial body—whether it’s a planet, a stellar companion, or something else. As the star approaches Earth, it shifts its light slightly toward blue, then back toward red as it moves away. Researchers have achieved a sensitivity of less than a meter for this measurement.

Researchers also ruled out the presence of giant exoplanets larger than Jupiter, which is the distance of five astronomical units (AU) from the primary star—about the distance of Jupiter in our own solar system. This is interesting because in 1855, British astronomer William Jacob claimed to have discovered a planet in 70 Oph AB, making it the first candidate for an exoplanet host; researchers from the University of Michigan (U-M) note that Jacob’s claim failed to stand the test of scrutiny, but later observations revealed a “wobble” that could be explained by a Jupiter-sized planet.

“In general, our results show that planets in S-type orbits around the primary star of 70 Oph—including those in the habitable zone—could sustain rocky planets. If star binary systems can host solar-like planets, 70 Oph is one of the best places to look.” The research was published in a journal.