This calls into question what was known until now about the formation of planets and their solar systems. This is the conclusion of researchers from Pennsylvania State University. A planet too large for its Sun forces a revision of accepted theories.
Astronomers have discovered a planet more than 13 times more massive than Earth. It orbits the “ultracool” star LHS 3154, which is itself nine times less massive than the Sun. What is the mass ratio of the newly discovered planet to its host star? More than 100 times higher than that of the Earth and the Sun.
Planet Finder
It is the most massive planet known in close orbit around such a dwarf star. This goes against what current theories predict about planet formation around small stars. Nothing similar was ever seen. “It shows how little we know about the universe,” he acknowledges. it’s a statement Suvrath Mahadevan. He is Professor of Astronomy at Pennsylvania State University.«.
It explains that stars form from large clouds of gas and dust. After the star forms, the gas and dust remain as disks of material. They orbit the newborn star. Over time, they can become planets.
How was it discovered? Using an astronomical spectrograph built by a team of scientists led by Mahadevan. It’s called the Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF). Detects planets orbiting the cooler stars outside our solar system. These could have liquid water – a key ingredient for life – on their surface.
Breaking theories
«Think of it as if the star were a bonfire. The colder the fire gets, the closer you will have to be to it to stay warm. The same goes for the planets. “If the star is colder, a planet will have to be closer to it to contain liquid water.”
«What we have discovered represents an extreme test for all existing theories of planet formation. This is exactly what we built HPF for. “We want to discover how the most common stars in our galaxy form planets and to find those planets.”
