'Forbidden' Exoplanet Is Way Too Massive for Its Star
The planet, designated TOI-5205b, is a Jupiter-sized gas giant orbiting a red dwarf star that is only four times the size of Jupiter.
exoplanet, designated TOI5205b, is a Jupitersized gas giant orbiting a red dwarf star that is only four times the size of Jupiter.
Astronomers have discovered a new exoplanet that is challenging our understanding of how planets form. The planet, designated TOI-5205b, is a Jupiter-sized gas giant orbiting a red dwarf star that is only four times the size of Jupiter. This is the first time that a planet this massive has been found orbiting such a small star.
The discovery was made using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). TESS is a space telescope that was launched in 2018 to search for exoplanets. When an exoplanet transits its star, it blocks a small amount of light from the star. TESS can detect these dips in light, which can then be used to confirm the presence of an exoplanet.
TOI-5205b is located about 290 light-years from Earth. It orbits its star every 1.6 days. The planet is very hot, with a temperature of about 1,700 degrees Celsius (3,090 degrees Fahrenheit). This is hot enough to vaporize metals, such as iron and copper.
Astronomers are puzzled by how TOI-5205b formed. According to current theories of planet formation, planets form in disks of gas and dust that surround young stars. The gas and dust in the disk clump together to form planetesimals, which are small, rocky bodies. The planetesimals then collide and merge to form planets.
However, the disk around TOI-5205b's star is very small and tenuous. It is not thought to have enough material to form a planet the size of TOI-5205b.
One possibility is that TOI-5205b formed in a different way. For example, it could have been captured by the star from another star system. Alternatively, it could have formed from a collision between two large planetesimals.
More observations are needed to determine how TOI-5205b formed. However, the discovery of this planet is sure to challenge our understanding of planet formation.