4 days ago
Moroccan researchers contribute to discovery of unusual giant planet
A team of international researchers, including Moroccan Jamila Chouqar and Khalid Barkaoui have discovered an unusual giant planet that challenges how scientists think planets form. The planet, called TOI-6894 b, orbits around a very small star.
According to research published in Nature Astronomy on June 4, 2025, Chouqar, who was an astronomer at the University of Liege at the time of the discovery and Barkaoui, a researcher on the SPECULOOS and TRAPPIST teams, worked with scientists worldwide to confirm this discovery. The finding is surprising because the host star is much smaller than our Sun - only about one-fifth its size.
What makes this discovery special is that the planet is much larger than expected for such a small star. The planet weighs about 53 times more than Earth and is nearly as big as Saturn. When it passes in front of its star, it blocks 17% of the star's light - creating a very noticeable dimming effect that helped astronomers detect it.
The planet was first spotted using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and confirmed through ground-based observations from multiple telescopes. It completes one orbit around its star in just over three days and has a surface temperature of about 145 degrees Celsius, making it relatively cool compared to other known giant planets.
