Rapid Fire
Giant Planet Orbiting Red Dwarf Star
- 10 Jun 2025
- 2 min read
Astronomers have discovered a Saturn-sized gaseous planet orbiting the red dwarf star TOI-6894 beyond our solar system.
- The planet was studied primarily using data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) operated by the European Southern Observatory in Chile.
- Planets beyond our solar system are called exoplanets.
- It is the smallest-known star to host such a massive planet challenging conventional theories of planetary formation.
- It is located in the Leo constellation, is just 21% of our Sun’s mass, yet hosts a Saturn-sized gas giant—defying current models that suggest small stars typically form only rocky planets like Earth or Mars.
- Red Dwarf: Red dwarfs are the smallest stars, with masses between 7.5% and 50% of the Sun.
- They have very low luminosity, emitting just 0.01% to 10% of the Sun’s brightness, and low surface temperatures give them a red or orange glow.
- Their slow hydrogen burning allows them to shine for trillions of years, far longer than the Sun’s 10-billion-year lifespan.
- They are the most common type of star in the Milky Way galaxy. The closest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, is a red dwarf.
| Read More: Binary Brown Dwarfs |
