The unusual architecture of the υ Andromedae planetary system

The star υ Andromedae has 3 known planets orbiting it, all three close to or greater than the size of Jupiter.  Surprisingly, observations show that the orbits of the outer two planets are tilted relative to each other by about 30 degrees, which is very unusual in comparison with the solar system. A study led by UWAB graduate student Russell Deitrick together with Prof. Rory Barnes, Prof. Tom Quinn, and Rodrigo Luger used computer models to learn more about this interesting planetary system. The researchers were able to place constraints on the inner-most planet’s mass and orbital tilt, which were previously unknown. They found that the inner-most planet is likely to be several Jupiter masses, and its orbital plane is probably aligned about halfway between the planes of the outer two planets.