Ginormous planet discovered around tiny red star challenges our understanding of solar systems

An illustration of a large, blue, banded planet orbiting a red star that is only slightly larger than the planet.

Scientists have spotted a massive planet where one shouldn't be able to exist, according to leading theories of planet formation.

A team of researchers discovered a giant planet, dubbed TOI-6894b, orbiting a low-mass red dwarf star about 241 light-years away from Earth. The findings, published June 4 in the journal Nature Astronomy, add another example to a growing list of space objects that challenge standard models of planet formation.