Scientists discover planet 12 times larger than Jupiter

(Web Desk): Scientists have discovered a planet 12 times larger than Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.

In fact, compared to this planet, Jupiter seems like a dwarf planet. Even more astonishing is the fact that this massive planet orbits a star smaller than our Sun.

The planet, named Gaia-4b, was discovered 244 light-years away from Earth, and it is accompanied by a smaller planet, Gaia-5b, which is located 134 light-years away.

The European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft helped in the discovery of this planet.

Recently, the spacecraft's fuel ran out, but it provided scientists with the initial clue that led to the discovery of this enormous planet.

Subsequent confirmation of the planet’s existence was made using other scientific instruments.

Although Gaia's scientific observations ended on January 15, 2025, there is still a wealth of information hidden in its data, and all these details will gradually be revealed.

Matthew Steding, a researcher with the European Space Agency, stated that the discovery of this planet is exhilarating. “In fact, we believe this is just the beginning of the secrets that will emerge from the Gaia spacecraft's data in the future.”

So far, scientists have discovered a total of 5,800 planets in the universe, and thousands more are under investigation, after which they will be officially recognized as planets.

It is estimated that there are billions and trillions of galaxies in the universe, so the number of planets will likely exceed our expectations.

Scientists have described Gaia-4b as a super-Jupiter, made of cold gas, and it completes an orbit around its star in 570 Earth days.

Scientists believe the planet's size is equivalent to 64% of its star's area, which is why it is considered one of the few large planets orbiting a small star.

The results of this research were published in the Astrophysical Journal.