Important discoveries have been made by a series of astronomers in recent weeks, and that is that scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science have discovered a very unusual gas giant exoplanet, and it is a planet really rare gaseous, being one quarter the size of its host star, thus defying current classification systems.
Thanks to this discovery, astronomers could even begin to challenge what we know about how planets form, since the existence of this planet would make little sense on the table. exoplanet.
“Based on our current nominal understanding of planet formation, TOI-5205b should not exist; It’s a ‘forbidden planet’‘”, it states Shubham Kanodiateam leader and Carnegie astronomer, in a statement.
As they explain in the article published in The Astronomical Journal, this planet orbits a small red dwarf star called TOI-5205 and is one of the most common types of stars in our galaxy.
Although it is known that these types of stars harbor planetsit is practically impossible for them to host gas giants of a considerable size such as the one they have discovered.
So this gas giant called TOI 5205b is simply much bigger than it should be, about a quarter of the size of its host star.
This puzzling planet was originally identified by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
“The host star, TOI-5205, is nearly four times the size of Jupiter, but has somehow managed to form a Jupiter-sized planet, which is pretty amazing!”, adds Kanodia.
It is capable of blocking 7% of its star
While not the first gas giant to orbit a red dwarf star of this size, TOI-5025b is simply much larger than any previously found.
In fact, this planet is capable of blocking 7% of its star when it passes in front of it, so it is ideal to be observed by space telescopes such as NASA’s James Webb.
“The existence of TOI-5205b expands what we know about the disks in which these planets are born.says Kanodia.At first, if there is not enough rocky material in the disk to form the initial core, then a gas giant planet cannot form.”.
“And in the end, if the disk evaporates before its passive core forms, then a gas giant planet cannot form.”, he concludes.