A new discovery by scientists could completely change the idea of how gas giants like Jupiter form.
Astronomers using the TESS space telescope have discovered a huge planet orbiting a small star. Scientists called it a “forbidden” planet, as it has a size that does not match the size of its star. That is, some kind of “forbidden” mechanism allowed it to emerge, but according to the theory it shouldn’t have happened, Space writes.
in 24News Breaker. The technology emerged telegraph channel. Subscribe so you don’t miss the latest and exciting news from the world of science!
Scientists have discovered a new exoplanet, which they named TOI 5205b, orbiting the small red dwarf TOI 5205, 280 light-years away. The planet is similar in size to our Jupiter, but only 4 times smaller than its own star. Although scientists have found gas giants around M-class stars, they were all significantly larger than the red dwarf TOI 5205. According to the theory, no gas giant could appear around this planet, so scientists named TOI 5205b a “forbidden” planet. . So this discovery could upend the whole idea of how gas giants like Jupiter form. According to scientists, the star TOI-5205 is only 40% the size and mass of our Sun and has a temperature almost 2 times lower.
According to Shabham Kanodia of Carnegie University in the USA, it is surprising how a planet so large could form around a star so small relative to the star’s own size. Prior to this discovery, scientists had never found gas giants around such red dwarfs.
Scientists now know that planets are formed from protoplanetary disks of gas and dust around their stars. This disk is a remnant of the same substance from which the star itself was formed. Under the influence of gravity, the cores of the planets emerge, and then the rest of the matter is pulled away. In the case of gas giants, their cores begin to accumulate gas. However, for a giant planet to emerge, the initial amount of matter must also be important, that is, the star itself must have a large size. According to scientists, if there is too little matter, then it will not be enough to form a large core or even a gas giant. But the discovery of the planet TOI-5205b shatters all theories.
“This is a forbidden planet. According to our ideas about the formation of such planets, it shouldn’t. The presence of TOI-5205b expands our knowledge of protoplanetary disks,” Canodia says.
The scientists compared the discovered Jupiter-sized planet to a pea swirling around a lemon to show the discrepancy between its size and that of a star. In this case, Jupiter itself is a grapefruit, that is, a pea compared to our Sun.
The size of this planet is so large compared to the size of its star that it covers 7% of the light emitted by the star. To date, this is the largest figure for Jupiter-sized planets known to scientists. In fact, the planet itself was discovered because it passes through the background of its star and blocks some of its light.
Now scientists want to observe TOI 5205b with the Webb Space Telescope to learn more about its secrets. Scientists have suggested that they will soon discover many more such planets.
Focus He has already written that astronomers have recently found a Jupiter-like planet, the lightest known exoplanet.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.