Astronomers have discovered a massive gas giant planet orbiting a tiny star, challenging our understanding of how such massive planets form around small stars. TOI-6894, a red dwarf star with only 20% the mass of our sun, hosts a planet with a radius slightly larger than Saturn but only half its mass. The planet orbits its star in just over three days.
The discovery was made by an international team searching through more than 91,000 low-mass red dwarfs observed by NASA’s TESS space telescope. Ground-based telescopes confirmed the existence of the giant planet. Study co-author Daniel Bayliss says that this finding has significant implications for estimating the number of giant planets in our galaxy.
The newly discovered planet is unusual because it is cold, unlike most gas giants, which are “hot Jupiters” with temperatures soaring over 1,000 degrees Celsius. The James Webb space telescope will study the planet next year, potentially uncovering more mysteries about this enigmatic world.
Recent discoveries include a possible new dwarf planet in our solar system and an X-ray emitting celestial object that also shoots out radio waves. These findings highlight ongoing efforts to explore and understand the universe.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/massive-planet-discovered-orbiting-tiny-star-toi-6894