Gaia mission uncovers hidden cosmic giants in our galaxy

Using data from the Gaia space telescope, scientists have detected two unusual objects:

· Gaia-4b – an exoplanet approximately 12 times the mass of Jupiter, completing a full orbit around its star in 570 days.

· Gaia-5b – a brown dwarf with a mass about 21 times that of Jupiter. Brown dwarfs are more massive than planets but too light to sustain nuclear fusion to be a star.

Both objects orbit low-mass stars, a phenomenon previously considered rare.

Since its launch in 2013, ESA’s Gaia spacecraft has been creating the largest and most precise three-dimensional map of our galaxy. Rotating slowly, it scanned the sky using two optical telescopes, repeatedly pinpointing the positions of two billion objects with unprecedented accuracy until the end of its science observations on January 15, 2025.

Gaia precisely measured the positions of stars (a technique known as astrometry) and detected slight "wobbles" caused by the gravitational pull of orbiting objects. This method allowed scientists to identify massive bodies located at significant distances from their stars.

The discovery of such massive objects around low-mass stars challenges existing theories of planet formation. Further research will help improve our understanding of these processes and the role of such objects in our galaxy. Moreover, thousands of new objects are expected to be discovered.

Earlier, Kazinform News Agency reported that a team of scientists from the University of Geneva confirmed the discovery of HD 20794 d, a super-Earth located in the habitable zone of a star just 20 light years away.