A team of astronomers led by Guðmundur Stefánsson have discovered Gaia-4b, a massive exoplanet orbiting a relatively low-mass star. The discovery was made using the astrometric method, which involves tracking the wobbling motion of a star caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting companion. Gaia-4b's mass is 11.8 times that of Jupiter, raising questions about its classification as either a planet or a brown dwarf.
Astronomers have discovered one of the largest exoplanets orbiting a relatively low-mass star, thanks to the gravitational influence of the planet on its host star. This massive exoplanet, named Gaia-4b, was detected using the astrometric method , where astronomers track the slight wobbling motion of a star caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting companion.
Using the Gaia spacecraft and ground-based telescopes, a team led by Guðmundur Stefánsson of the University of Amsterdam, confirmed the presence of Gaia-4b. The exoplanet has a remarkable orbital period of 570 days, classifying it as a relatively cold gas giant. Despite its distance from its star, Gaia-4b's immense size exerts a significant gravitational pull, causing the star to wobble noticeably in its path across the sky. This wobbling motion, resembling a corkscrew pattern, was observed by Gaia and prompted further investigation by Stefánsson's team.To confirm the presence of a planet and determine its characteristics, the team employed a trio of spectrographs: NEID at Kitt Peak National Observatory, the Habitable-zone Planet Finder at McDonald Observatory, and FIES on the Nordic Optical Telescope. These instruments measured the radial velocity of the star, revealing the extent to which it wobbles on its axis due to the gravitational pull of its orbiting companion. The data indicated that Gaia-4b's mass is 11.8 times that of Jupiter, raising questions about its classification. While its mass places it within the planetary realm, the abundance of heavy elements in the star's composition suggests a possible alternative origin. Stefánsson's team proposes that Gaia-4b may have formed through gravitational collapse, similar to the formation of brown dwarfs. However, the precise nature of Gaia-4b's formation remains an open question, with astronomers continuing to analyze data from the Gaia mission to shed further light on this intriguing exoplanet
Exoplanet Gaia-4B Astrometric Method Radial Velocity Brown Dwarf Planetary Formation
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