An international team of astronomers headed by Pole Prof. Andrzej Udalski has made a breakthrough discovery in astronomy.

International research team, headed by Polish astronomer Prof. Andrzej Udalski, have discovered a new solar system similar to our own. Eight Poles contributed to the project as part of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE). Research conducted at a Chile-based observatory was partly financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Dr. Krzysztof Ziółkowski, of the Space Research Centre at the Polish Academy of Sciences, says that the method employed by Polish researchers is a prospective technique for detecting planets. The technique, known as gravitational microlensing, consists in studying the light signal in search of distortions caused by massive planets. “By analysing these distortions we may observe slight changes in brightness of stars, on the basis of which we may detect new planets,” explained Ziółkowski. He added that at this stage astronomers are not yet capable of direct observation of planets.

Ziółkowski also pointed to the similarity of the newly discovered solar system to our own. “Finding a planet bearing a likeness to the Earth could help answer the question whether there exists life beyond the Earth,” he said.

The system, about 4,500 light years from the Earth, is a scaled-down version of our Solar System. Two planets, sharing a similar mass ratio with Jupiter and Saturn respectively, orbit around a central star, which is half the mass of the Sun. The proportions of the planets and the distance between them and the host star support the theory on the solar system formation.