Can a star orbit a planet

Question

Can a star orbit a planet

In: Planetary Science

Answer 1

It seems like you might be wondering if the biggest planet in the observable universe is bigger than the smallest star.

Logic would make us feel that the bigger object is always being orbited by the smaller one (even though it’s both orbiting each other)

So let’s explore.

Even the biggest planet in the observable universe is much smaller than even the smallest star.

Here’s the accurate comparison:

Largest known planet: ROXs 42 Bb with a radius about 1.12 times that of Jupiter (roughly 71,492 km).

Smallest known star: 2MASS J0523-1409 with a radius about 0.15 times that of the Sun (roughly 696,000 km).

As you can see, even though ROXs 42 Bb is quite large for a planet, it’s still more than 6 times smaller than the smallest star. Stars are significantly more massive than planets, leading to their much larger sizes.

So there is no scenario where a planet is bigger than a star looking like the earth and the moon.