Astronomers have made an exciting discovery – a “forbidden planet” that’s as massive as Jupiter, orbiting a dwarf star called TOI 5205b located around 280 lightyears away from Earth. The discovery has challenged the long-held idea about the planetary system, and the planet has been dubbed the “forbidden planet” due to its sporadic cosmic occurrence.
The planet was discovered with the help of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which observes the brightness of stars and detects planets by measuring the dip in brightness caused by a planet passing in front of its host star. The team of researchers, led by Shubham Kanodia from Carnegie Institution for Science, consisted of Alan Boss, Johanna Teske, Anjali Piette, and John Chambers.
The planet’s discovery is significant because it contradicts the traditional understanding of how planets form. According to the current theory, gas giants like Jupiter are typically found in the outer regions of a solar system, where they have enough material to accrete into large masses. However, TOI 5205b is located very close to its host star, which suggests that the planet might have formed in a different way.
The researchers believe that TOI 5205b might have formed much further out from the host star and then migrated inwards. This could have happened due to gravitational interactions with other planets or the protoplanetary disk. However, more research is needed to confirm this theory.
The discovery of TOI 5205b is an important step forward in our understanding of the planetary formation and evolution. It highlights the importance of studying exoplanets – planets outside of our solar system – as they can provide valuable insights into the diversity of planetary systems and the processes that govern them.