Surprised astronomers find evidence of two-star system with rocky planets, like Tatooine in ‘Star Wars’

Astronomers said Monday they had found hints of a planetary system closely resembling that of Tatooine, the home of Star Wars jedi Luke Skywalker, orbiting a duo of suns.

The evidence came in the form of seemingly rocky debris orbiting two stars - a white dwarf and a brown dwarf - in a system called SDSS 1557 some 1,000 light years away.

The “debris appears to be rocky and suggests that terrestrial planets like Tatooine... might exist in the system,” said a statement from University College London (UCL), which took part in the study.

All other planets discovered orbiting double stars have been gas giants similar to Jupiter.

Now in SDSS 1557, a team has found planetary material with a high metal content, including silicon and magnesium, which is more common to rocky worlds.

Building rocky planets around two suns - in the type of system supposedly occupied by Skywalker’s home planet in the Star Wars universe - is difficult, according to Jay Farihi from UCL, the study’s lead author.

The gravity of each star exerts push and pull forces, preventing bits of rock and dust sticking together and growing, as in the usual planet-building process.