Astronomers have discovered a rare pair of celestial combinations: a "superheavy" planet 13 times larger than Earth, orbiting a tiny star that is only one-ninth of the mass of the Sun. This peculiar system challenges existing theories of planet formation, as such planet-to-star mass ratios are 100 times more than expected.
The official name of this system is LHS 3154, and its star is an ultra-cold dwarf, a star with very little mass and very low temperature. Its planet, named LHS 3154B, is a gas giant similar to Neptune. The huge contrast between the two has puzzled scientists because, according to current theories, the planet-forming disk around a low-mass star should not have enough solid material to form a planet of this size.
This system was discovered using the Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF). HPF is an astronomical spectrometer that can make high-precision measurements of infrared signals from nearby stars. HPF can measure the radial velocity of a star, which is the speed at which the star moves in the direction of the line of sight due to the gravitational pull of the orbiting planet. With this method, astronomers can detect subtle changes in the spectrum of stars and thus discover potential planets.
The planet-forming disk around LHS 3154 should not have enough solid mass to form this planetary ......This discovery really illustrates how little we know about the universe," said Suvrath Mahadevan, a professor at Pennsylvania State University and co-author of the study.
This study suggests that we need to re-evaluate our understanding of the processes of planet and star formation. The researchers have challenged conventional wisdom by suggesting that the planetary disks around LHS 3154 may contain more dust than previously thought. The orbital period of LHS 3154B is only 37 days, which also prompted reflections on the relationship between the size of the planet, the temperature of the stars, and the possibility of liquid water. Researchers believe that the close proximity of LHS 3154b to its star may resemble a campfire close to cooling for heating, which is necessary for the planet to maintain liquid water.
In his comments on the discovery, Fre de Ric Masset, a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, called it "unheard of" and stressed that it could prompt a major reevaluation of the current theory of planet formation. He proposes a possible explanation for reconsidering the amount of dust in the planetary disk, challenging previous assumptions and urging scientists to revisit the basic principles that guide our understanding of the universe.
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