Sub-Neptune GJ 3090 b orbits in reverse, challenging standard planetary formation models
Astronomers have identified GJ 3090 b, a sub-Neptune located 73 light-years from Earth, that orbits its red dwarf star in the opposite direction to the star's rotation. This retrograde motion defies standard planetary formation theories, which predict planets should orbit in the same direction as their host star's spin. The discovery, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, highlights ongoing mysteries in exoplanet dynamics, as current gravitational models within the system cannot fully explain the planet's misaligned orbit.