
They should call the big one Planet Weinstein...
There are quite a lot of choices of names for the dwarf.
Scientists have discovered a new “monster” alien world that challenges today's theories about planet formation due to its sheer size. The giant, known as NGTS-1b, is 600 light years away and is the biggest planet compared to the size of its parent star NGTS-1 ever found. NGTS-1b is a hot Jupiter, a rare class of exoplanet. …
This post has been deleted by its author
This post has been deleted by its author
My thoughts exactly ... perhaps the system should be considered a failed binary. I'm guessing there are a few of those out there.
That said, the fact that they orbit every 2.6 days is unusual. Stable binaries typically have a much greater separation distance than what this orbit implies.
The periodic dimming of the star was monitored over several months to gather enough data to calculate the gargantuan planet’s size, position and mass.
The dimming shown by the light curve only gives the period and the likelihood that the object is a planet rather than a binary companion. Spectral shift -- caused by the planet tugging the star backwards and forwards -- provides the additional data needed to calculate the planet's radial velocity, from which its size, position and mass can be determined.
Relying on heuristics with a formal model can lead you into false expectations.
IOW "We didn't think it could exist....but now we know it can."
So another data point for any model to satisfy, which should help to filter out models that don't work.
Although it is true at what point does a very hefty planet become a "proto sun" and at what point could one get so close to its sun (if any) that it ignites?