Astronomers have recently detected an exoplanet that could pass off as Jupiter's twin called HIP 11915b, which is also a massive alien world that is observed to orbit around its parent star.

Scientists are in the quest to find another "super Earth" including twin counterparts of the rest of the planets in the solar system since they believe that during one point in time in the universe, many planets including stellar systems were almost identical to our own.

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Since more than 1,000 exoplanets have been discovered, astronomers have also made new discoveries about different types of solar systems. According to Jorge Melendez of the Universidade de São Paulo, the search for Earth 2.0 and a complete Solar System 2.0 is probably one of the most exciting astronomical endeavors. Thanks to the ESO's (European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere) observational facilities, the team was able to carry out this cutting edge research, according to CNet.

The European Southern Observatory houses a 142-inch powerful telescope to observe distant star systems including one star that is very similar to our own sun. Using a scientific instrument called High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher, the astronomers made a detection of a planet similar to the colossal gas giant in our own solar system, Jupiter, according to Discovery News.

This massive exoplanet however, is not just almost the same size as Jupiter but it is also orbiting within the same distance from its parent star as Earth to the sun. Scientists also predict that this exoplanet alien twin world may also have a similar composition to Jupiter.

The exoplanet's parent star, HIP 11915, is also oddly similar to our own sun which can also be considered as sun's twin version, reveals RedOrbit. Astronomers confirm that the mass of the star is almost the same of the sun, including its size and composition.

For scientists, the exoplanets that are the easiest to detect are massive worlds that are in close orbit with their parent star. Bigger planets make these detections easier since they can block a significant amount of light from their sun during transit where they can be picked up by space telescopes and ground observatories alike.

Searching for alien life within these alien planets could prove almost impossible since scientists believe that they are highly inhospitable places to live in due to extreme weather conditions. Apart from this, astronomers also believe that the HIP 11915 system could also contain smaller worlds. 

According to Megan Bedell from the University of Chicago, after 20 years of hunting for exoplanets, gas giant planets are slowly emerging into existence that are strikingly similar to our own solar system, courtesy of advanced technology such as the HARPS instrument. This new study is published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. 

Tagsjupiter twin, Jupiter, Exoplanets, ESO, jupiter similar identical sun exoplanet, Solar System 2.0? Jupiter's Twin Detected Orbiting a Star Similar to Our Own Sun