According to CNN, the enormous size of the newly discovered planet, named TOI 5205b, has led researchers to consider it a “forbidden planet.” It is roughly the size of Neptune, the largest planet in the Solar System. The discovery of TOI 5205b was made using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
A newly discovered planet has an unusual size. Photo: Katherine Cain/Carnegie Science
The planet-hunting mission, launched in 2018, has been surveying the brightest and closest stars for their light. This helps detect the dips in light emitted by the stars, indicating the presence of orbiting satellites. TESS, in particular, has identified thousands of potential exoplanets.
To identify the “forbidden planet,” researchers focused on a red dwarf star named TOI-5205, which is about 40% the size of the Sun and has a temperature of approximately 3,127 degrees Celsius.
According to a study published on February 21 in The Astronomical Journal, the planet TOI 5205b is a remarkable discovery.
“The host star, TOI-5205, is only about four times the size of Neptune. Somehow, it managed to form a planet the size of Neptune. That’s quite surprising,” said lead author Shubham Kanodia, a postdoctoral fellow at the Carnegie Science Institution.
To provide an analogy, researchers compared this planet to a pea orbiting around a lemon. In contrast, Neptune, with a size similar to TOI 5205b, is likened to a pea orbiting around a grapefruit, representing the Sun. This implies that TOI 5205b has an unusually large size.
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Illustration depicting the unusual size of TOI 5205b as mentioned by researchers. Image: Katherine Cain/Carnegie Science Institute.
Kanodia further explained that the existence of TOI-5205b expands our understanding of how planets are formed. “Based on our understanding of planet formation, TOI-5205b should not exist. Therefore, it is considered a forbidden planet,” Kanodia said.
In the future, researchers aim to observe this planet using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to examine whether it has an atmosphere and unravel more mysteries about its formation.