Raffaele Gratton

In the open cluster Trumpler 5, where hundreds of stars move together, one star behaves like a teenager among elders. It pulsates — expanding and contracting, changing brightness every few hours.

Astronomers have eavesdropped on a cosmic duet for the first time: two giant planets circle the brown dwarf CD-35 2722 B, and their gravitational echo has left its mark in spectral lines.

The gravitational dances of celestial bodies long remained silent to astronomers. We learned to catch the shadows of planets against stars with the transit method — a breakthrough that delivered thousands of worlds thanks to William Borucki and his Kepler telescope.