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Rogue Planet Defies Physics: GJ 3090 b Orbits Star in Opposite Direction
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News18•23-09-2026, 22:30
Rogue Planet Defies Physics: GJ 3090 b Orbits Star in Opposite Direction
- •Researchers at Queen Mary University of London discovered GJ 3090 b, a new planet orbiting its star in the exact opposite direction.
- •The planet's orbit has an inclination of approximately 136 degrees, challenging centuries-old models of planet formation.
- •Scientists ruled out external forces or massive companion stars, suggesting the anomaly might be linked to the system's birth.
- •A new theory proposes the star might have pulled in a second disk of gas and dust rotating in a different direction, making the planet's reverse orbit natural.
- •GJ 3090 b is the smallest planet whose 3D orbital tilt has been measured, a milestone for understanding planets around M dwarf stars.
Key Questions Answered
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have named the newly discovered planet GJ 3090 b, which is roughly the size of Neptune and orbits its star with an inclination of approximately 136 degrees.
Researchers analyzed data collected from the NIRPS, which stands for Near InfraRed Spectrograph, allowing scientists to successfully measure the 3D orbital tilt of the planet.
Since no massive companion or external gravitational force was found to have flipped the planet, scientists theorize that the star may have pulled in a second disk of gas and dust rotating in a completely opposite direction during its birth.
