Discovery of planet too big for its sun throws off solar system formation models

The discovery of a planet that is far too massive for its sun is calling into question what was previously understood about the formation of planets and their solar systems, according to Penn State researchers.

Artistic rendering of the possible view from LHS 3154b toward its low mass host star. Photo: Penn State

Researchers report the discovery of a planet more than 13 times as massive as Earth orbiting the "ultracool" star LHS 3154, which itself is nine times less massive than the sun.

The mass ratio of the newly found planet with its host star is more than 100 times higher than that of Earth and the sun.

The finding reveals the most massive known planet in a close orbit around an ultracool dwarf star, the least massive and coldest stars in the universe.

The discovery goes against what current theories would predict in planet formation around small stars and marks the first time a planet with such high mass has been spotted orbiting such a low-mass star.

"This discovery really drives home the point of just how little we know about the universe," said Suvrath Mahadevan at Penn State, a co-author of the paper. "We wouldn't expect a planet this heavy around such a low-mass star to exist."

Stars are formed from large clouds of gas and dust. After the star is formed, the remaining gas and dust orbit the newborn star as disks of material, which can eventually develop into planets.

"The planet-forming disk around the low-mass star LHS 3154 is not expected to have enough solid mass to make this planet," Mahadevan said. "But it's out there, so now we need to reexamine our understanding of how planets and stars form."

The researchers spotted the oversized planet, named LHS 3154b, using an astronomical spectrograph built at Penn State by a team of scientists led by Mahadevan.

The instrument, called the Habitable Zone Planet Finder, was designed to detect planets orbiting the coolest stars outside our solar system with the potential for having liquid water — a key ingredient for life — on their surfaces. (U.S. National Science Foundation)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

NASA’s LRO Spots Japan’s Moon Lander

On Jan. 19, 2024, at 10:20 a.m. EST, the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed on the lunar surface.

Astronomers detect oldest black hole ever observed

Researchers have discovered the oldest black hole ever observed, dating from the dawn of the universe, and found that it is ‘eating’ its host galaxy to death.

Scientists Discover a Novel Galactic ‘Fossil’

Researchers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, have discovered X-ray activity that sheds light on the evolution of galaxies.

NASA’s Webb Finds Signs of Possible Aurorae on Isolated Brown Dwarf

Infrared emission from methane suggests atmospheric heating by auroral processes.

Mysterious missing component in the clouds of Venus revealed

Researchers may have identified the missing component in the chemistry of the Venusian clouds that would explain their colour and 'splotchiness' in the UV range, solving a longstanding mystery.

Supernovae give rise to black holes or neutron stars

Astronomers have found a direct link between the explosive deaths of massive stars and the formation of the most compact and enigmatic objects in the Universe — black holes and neutron stars.