NGTS-1b tagged posts

This is an artist’s impression of the cool red star above NGTS-1b. Credit: University of Warwick/Mark Garlick

A giant planet, which should not exist according to planet formation theory, has been discovered around a distant star. The existence of the ‘monster’ planet, ‘NGTS-1b’, challenges theories of planet formation which state that a planet of this size could not be formed around such a small star. According to these theories, small stars can readily form rocky planets but do not gather enough material together to form Jupiter-sized planets.

‘NGTS-1b’ however, is a ‘gas giant’ – due to its size and temperature, the planet is known as a ‘hot Jupiter’, a class of planets that are at least as large as our solar system’s very own Jupiter, but with around 20% less mass...