Earth only has one parent star, but other planets exist in systems much different than our own. Binary star systems are more common than single stars, and though planets in triple star systems are more rare, they are not unheard of. However, researchers have now identified a planet that is only the second one to ever be discovered in a quadruple star system. The existence of the planet was confirmed through observations from the Palomar Observatory in California. The research has been described in the Astronomical Journal.

The planet, which is considered a “hot Jupiter,” has been named 30 Ari and exists in the constellation Aries, 136 light-years from Earth. It is not habitable, as it is incredibly close to its primary star. It only takes three Earth days for the planet to complete one orbit.

“About four percent of solar-type stars are in quadruple systems, which is up from previous estimates because observational techniques are steadily improving,” co-author Andrei Tokovinin from the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory said.

Despite the number of quadruple star systems out in the galaxy, 30 Ari is only the second exoplanet in such a system to be confirmed. It follows the 2013 discovery of KIC 4862625, which is about 5,000 light-years away. The planet was discovered via observations from NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. It is hoped that more planets in unconventional systems will be discovered in order to increase the body of knowledge on how planets form under a variety of conditions.

“Star systems come in myriad forms. There can be single stars, binary stars, triple stars, even quintuple star systems,” added lead author Lewis Roberts of Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “It’s amazing the way nature puts these things together.”

This system is fairly odd, however, because the stars in the system are a long distance away from one another. The primary and secondary star are 44,000 astronomical units (AU) away from one another. One AU is the average distance from the Earth to the sun. The third star in the system is closer to the primary, as it is 28 AU away. The fourth star discovered is the most proximal, at 23 AU.

Earth has a long list of hits—and not of the musical variety, but of the rocky, celestial sort. In fact, asteroids have slammed into our planet and caused cataclysmic damage many times in its violent past. On less dramatic occassions, Earth is frequently hit with small asteroids that enter and disintegrate in its atmosphere. According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Earth was hit by 556 small asteroids between 1994 and 2013. Most don’t make it through the atmosphere, but some—like the Chelyabinsk meteorite—crash-land with considerable force.

What would happen if a larger asteroid collided with Earth? A simulation by the Discovery Channel has provided a visual scenario to take us through it. According to the video’s description box, these are the details: “An asteroid with a diameter of 500 km. Destination: The Pacific Ocean. The impact peels the 10 km crust off the surface. The shockwave travels at hypersonic speeds. Debris is blasted across into low Earth orbit, and returns to destroy the surface of the Earth. The firestorm encircles the Earth, vaporizing all life in its way.”

Earlier this month, NASA and ESA released the biggest and highest resolution image of our galactic neighbor, Andromeda, that has ever been taken. The 1.5 billion pixel image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Each tiny dot of light in the picture represents one of 1 trillion stars in the galaxy; many with their own expansive planetary systems.

As you watch this video and think about Andromeda’s size, remember that this is just a small part compared to the rest of the universe. As large as this galaxy is, it is only one out of 200 billion galaxies in the known universe.

Did you know that:

• The Earth was formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago and is the only known planet to support life
• The Earth was once believed to be the centre of the universe
• Earth is the only planet not named after a god: the other seven planets in our solar system are all named after Roman gods or goddesses
• 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water
• A year on Earth isn’t 365 days -it’s actually 365.26 days. It’s this extra .26 days that creates the need for leap years
• Only 3% water of the earth is fresh, rest 97% salted. Of that 3%, over 2% is frozen in ice sheets and glaciers?