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Exoplanet GJ 3090 b discovered in unusual retrograde orbit
An international team of astronomers, led by the University of Geneva, has discovered a highly unusual exoplanet, GJ 3090 b, which orbits its host star in a retrograde direction. Located approximately 73 light-years away, the sub-Neptune planet possesses a radius about 2.18 times that of Earth and a mass roughly 4.52 times greater.
Using the NIRPS spectrograph at the La Silla Observatory, researchers measured a three-dimensional spin-orbit angle of approximately 136 degrees. This indicates that the planet moves largely in the opposite direction of its red dwarf star's rotation. This discovery marks GJ 3090 b as the first known retrograde planet identified around an M dwarf star.
The unusual orbital configuration challenges standard models of planetary formation, which typically suggest that planets form from a disk of gas and dust rotating in the same direction as the host star. Because no massive outer planets or stellar companions were found to explain the misalignment, researchers suggest the planet may have formed in a second, backward-rotating disk of gas.
Entities
GJ 3090 b · La Silla Observatory · NIRPS · University of Geneva · Yann Carteret
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The planet is located approximately 73 light-years away. www.jutarnji.hr
- [● 2 SOURCES] The three-dimensional spin-orbit angle of GJ 3090 b is approximately 136 degrees. www.thebrighterside.news · www.jutarnji.hr
- [● 2 SOURCES] The study was conducted using the NIRPS spectrograph at the La Silla Observatory. www.ccvalg.pt · www.jutarnji.hr
- [● 2 SOURCES] The measurement of the psi angle provides clues about the formation and evolution of planetary systems. www.ccvalg.pt · www.jutarnji.hr
- [○ 1 SOURCE] GJ 3090 b has a radius approximately 2.18 times that of Earth. www.thebrighterside.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The mass of GJ 3090 b is roughly 4.52 times greater than Earth's. www.thebrighterside.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] GJ 3090 b is the first known retrograde planet discovered around an M dwarf star. www.thebrighterside.news
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The exoplanet GJ 3090 b follows a strongly misaligned retrograde orbit around its red dwarf host star. www.thebrighterside.news