Planet 'monsters' should not exist according to astronomical theory

Astronomers discovered that a planet made of Jupiter orbits a star as small as half the Sun, contrary to the theory of planet formation.

NGTS-1b , the hot gas planet to 986 degrees around the red M-dwarf red dwarf, 600 light-years from Earth, is the largest planet compared to the star-sized planet ever discovered, Fox News reported yesterday.

Illustrating planet NGTS-1b.(Photo: University of Warwick).

The finding contrary to the astronomical hypothesis concludes that a star so small cannot create a planet too large. Previously, scientists thought that small stars could produce rocky planets, but they did not gather enough material to create a large planet like Jupiter.

Because the red dwarf M spectrum is the most common type in the universe, the team speculates that there may be many similar planets. NGTS-1b was found by an international team of researchers using the new Generation Horizontal Motion (NGTS) Survey in Chile, according to a report from the University of Warwick, England.

The planet is about 4.5 million kilometers from the host star, only 3% of the distance between the Earth and the Sun (150 million km). One year on NGTS-1b, the time for the planet to orbit its host, is 2.6 days on Earth.

"The discovery of NGTS-1b was quite a surprise to us. Such large planets are thought to be unable to exist around such a small star. This is the first planetary planet we find by design. being new NGTS and we are changing our previous understanding of how planets form , " said Dr. Daniel Bayliss of the Astrophysics and Astrophysics team at Warwick University, who led the research.

"Even as a monster planet, NGTS-1b is difficult to detect because the mother star is very small and fuzzy. Small stars are the most common type in the universe, so there may be many giant planets of this type. awaiting discovery " , said Professor Peter Wheatley from Warwick University.