Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Mohsin Shaikh
Scientists have discovered a colossal planet named LHS 3154 b orbiting a red dwarf star. The research was led by Pennsylvania State University astronomer Suvrath Mahadevan, who was born in Ahmedabad and migrated to US in 2000, to complete his doctoral studies
Credit: Reuters
The research, now published in peer-reviewed magazine, Journal Science, said that LHS 3154 b, with a mass at least 13 times that of Earth, orbits a star only 11% as massive as our sun, challenging previous theories on planet formation around smaller stars
The discovery prompts scientists to reconsider existing theories on how planets form around red dwarfs, especially given the mass ratio between the planet and its star, exceeding 100 times that of Earth and the sun
Credit: Reuters
Despite being only 50 light years away from Earth, the host star, LHS 3154 b, is significantly less luminous, hovering just above the threshold for supporting hydrogen fusion
LHS 3154 b orbits its star at a mere 2.3% of Earth's distance from the sun, completing an orbit every 3.7 days, even closer than Mercury's proximity to our sun
The suspected composition and size of LHS 3154 b resemble Neptune, the smallest gas giant in our solar system, with a diameter around four times that of Earth
Due to its close orbit and presumed gaseous nature, LHS 3154 b is deemed unlikely to support life despite its massive size
The presence of such a large planet challenges the traditional understanding of planet formation around low-mass stars, as the observed mass exceeds expectations based on star-disk mass proportionality
The discovery was made using the Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF), an instrument mounted on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at the University of Texas' McDonald Observatory
Credit: wikimedia commons
The identification of LHS 3154 b raises significant questions about the formation process of planets, particularly around low-mass stars, contributing valuable insights to the field of exoplanet exploration