Upsilon Andromedae: A Rosetta Stone in Planetary Dynamics

We review the orbital dynamics exhibited by the first extra-solar planetary system discovered, Upsilon Andromedae. This system is unique in combining all of the surprising architectural features displayed individually by extrasolar planetary systems found today: (1) a hot Jupiter, (2) two planets on highly eccentric orbits, and (3) a stellar companion. We discuss the system’s stability properties and its possible origin. Planet-disk interactions seem critical to the emerging story.