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Saturn-Sized Exoplanet Orbits Record-Low Mass Star, Challenging Formation Theories
- Astronomers led by Dr. Edward Bryant discovered TOI-6894b, a giant gas planet orbiting a tiny red dwarf star in June 2025.
- The discovery followed a systematic search through TESS observations of over 91,000 low-mass red dwarfs to find unexpected giant planets.
- TOI-6894b is about half the mass of Saturn but slightly larger, orbiting the lowest-mass star known to host such a planet, only 20% of the Sun's mass.
- Dr. Vincent Van Eylen described the finding as "fascinating," emphasizing that scientists remain uncertain about how such a low-mass star is capable of producing a planet of such considerable size.
- This finding challenges the core accretion theory and suggests many more giant planets might orbit small stars, prompting planned atmospheric studies by the James Webb Space Telescope.
65 Articles
65 Articles
Astronomers just found a giant planet that shouldn’t exist
Scientists have discovered a giant planet orbiting a tiny red dwarf star, something they believed wasn t even possible. The planet, TOI-6894b, is about the size of Saturn but orbits a star just a fifth the mass of our Sun. This challenges long-standing ideas about how big planets form, especially around small stars. Current theories can't fully explain how such a planet could have taken shape. Even more fascinating, this cold planet may have a r…
This Massive Gas Giant Orbiting a Tiny Red Dwarf Tests Our Planet Formation Theories
The discovery of a Saturn-sized gas giant orbiting a small red dwarf is urging astronomers to reconsider their theories of planet formation. Core accretion theory is the most widely accepted explanation for planetary formation. It describes how planet formation begins with tiny dust grains gathering together and forming planetary cores that grow larger through accretion. It explains much of what we see in our Solar System and others. This discov…
Astronomers have discovered a cosmic anomaly in the constellation Leo: a gas planet about the size of Saturn orbiting a small star. The discovery calls into question previous theories about the origin of planets.
A team of scientists from several countries has discovered a giant planet orbiting a small star brighter than the Sun, the scientific journal Nature Astronomy announced today.
Channel News Asia
humenglish.comScientists puzzled by giant planet detected orbiting tiny star
WASHINGTON :Astronomers have spotted a cosmic mismatch that has left them perplexed - a really big planet orbiting a really small star. The discovery defies current understanding of how planets form.The star is only about a fifth the mass of the sun. Stars this size should host small planets akin to Earth and
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