Astronomers discover 'puffed up' planet orbiting small star

HATS-6
(Image credit: Courtesy ANU)

Some 500 light years away from Earth, a "puffed up" planet is orbiting around a star — HATS-6 — that has researchers at the Australian National University thoroughly intrigued.

"(The planet) must have formed further out and migrated in, but our theories can't explain how this happened," astronomer George Zhou told CNN. "The planet has a similar mass to Saturn, but its radius is similar to Jupiter, so it's quite a puffed up planet."

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Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.