NASA astronomers have spotted a supersized planet orbiting a small star about 280 light-years from Earth.
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Dubbed “forbidden” by scientists because of its size, this planet is similar in size to Jupiter and was located using the TESS satellite, used to identify exoplanets, according to CNN.
Named TOI-5205b, this exoplanet orbits red dwarf star TOI-5205, which is about 40% the size of the Sun.
The discovery of such a large planet orbiting such a small star has caused a stir among scientists, who published their observations in a study in the Astronomical Journal.
“The star TOI-5205 is only four times the size of Jupiter,” study author Shubham Kanodia said in a statement. Even so, a planet the size of Jupiter was able to form around it, which is quite surprising.
This discovery challenges some theories of planet formation.
Stars form from clouds of gas and dust in space.
The remaining materials then turn into a disc, which in turn forms the planets.
“The existence of TOI-5205b challenges our knowledge of the discs from which the planets are born,” the researcher continues. If there is not enough rock material in the disk, no gas giant planet can form. TOI-5205b was formed anyway. According to our theories, it shouldn’t exist. It is a “forbidden” planet.
The research team believes other planets of this type may exist and that other discoveries may result from examining their data.