Astronomers have discovered a massive planet, TOI-6894b, that challenges existing theories of planet formation. The planet orbits a low-mass red dwarf star approximately 241 light-years from Earth.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, add to a growing list of exoplanets that defy standard models. Scientists are intrigued by how such a massive planet could form around a star with so little mass.
TOI-6894b has about 17% the mass of Jupiter and orbits its star in just 3 days. Its radius is slightly larger than Saturn's. The red dwarf star has only about 20% the mass of the sun.
The discovery suggests that there could be many more giant planets in the Milky Way. The red dwarf is the lowest-mass star discovered to host a giant planet so far.
This discovery challenges the core accretion model of planet formation. Researchers plan to use the James Webb Space Telescope to observe the planet's atmosphere.