Solar system discovered that overturns theory of planet formation

Astronomers have discovered a planetary system around a red dwarf star that is testing classic theories of planet formation.

The discovery was made thanks to observations with NASA and European Space Agency telescopes.

The system, which is located about 116 light-years from Earth, has four planets aligned in an "upside-down" manner: the innermost planet is rocky, the other two are gaseous, while the outermost, unexpectedly, is rocky again.

This contradicts the well-known model in our solar system, where rocky planets are closer to the star, while gas giants are farther away. According to the standard theory, near the star, high temperatures allow only resistant materials to form rocky cores, while beyond the "snow line" ice helps the cores grow quickly and accumulate gas.

The study was led by Thomas Wilson from the University of Warwick, who explains that the rocky exoplanet most likely formed later, when the disk around the star was already gas-poor. This “gas-poor formation” means that the planets were not built in the same way and not at the same time.

According to Sara Seager, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this system could be among the first evidence that the usual rules of planet formation can be “turned upside down” around the most common stars in the galaxy. Heather Knutson of the California Institute of Technology points out that the outer planet is particularly intriguing and could have different atmospheres, perhaps even conditions where water can condense.

Other researchers, such as Ana Glidden and Néstor Espinoza of the Space Telescope Science Institute, agree that the system is a “natural laboratory” for testing models of planet formation. The debate remains open, but one thing is clear: the universe continues to surprise us and remind us that we still have much to learn.Indeksonline/