Eccentric Jupiter

[3] The discovery of this type of exoplanet, together with hot Jupiters, has challenged some widely-held theories about solar system formation.

The celestial bodies that revolve around 16 Cygni and 70 Virginis with orbital eccentricities greater than 0.5 were initially regarded as brown dwarfs, prior to more accurate measurements of their masses.

[citation needed] Various theories about the origin of orbits with high eccentricity compared to the planets of the solar system have been proposed, and can be modeled and analyzed via computer simulation.

For instance, an eccentric Jupiter may have an elongated elliptical orbit with periapsis around 0.05 au, and experience tidal braking upon its closest approach to its star.

In addition, hot Jupiters have been found at slightly more distant orbits – with semi-major axes of at least 0.1 au – but another model is needed to explain these.

However, such a distorted waveform can also occur due to the synthesis of radial velocity fluctuations (wave interference) caused by multiple planets.

The two cannot be distinguished if the radial velocity sampling is insufficient (the number of times is small, only a part of the orbital period can be covered, etc.).