All articles tagged with #small stars
New JWST study of nine early galaxies, combined with VLT data, reveals a larger population of faint, small stars than in the Milky Way. This means those galaxies contain more mass than previously estimated, with one example reaching up to four times the prior mass. The finding could require revisions to galaxy-formation models and suggests more planets may have formed around small stars in the early universe.
Astronomers have discovered a gas giant exoplanet, TOI-4860b, that challenges our understanding of planet formation. This peculiar planet orbits a tiny, ancient star just a third of the size of the Sun, completing each orbit in just 1.52 days. The discovery of such massive planets around small stars contradicts current formation models. Two separate teams of astronomers have analyzed TOI-4860b and found it to be around 76% the radius of Jupiter, but with different mass estimates. Further studies are needed to understand the formation and composition of these unusually heavy exoplanets.