An international team of scientists has announced the discovery of a Neptune-sized exoplanet that is traveling in a sizzlingly close orbit around its star. This is only the fourth object of its kind found in the history of observations.
The discovery was made using the TESS telescope. It was able to detect periodic decreases in the brightness of the orange dwarf caused by transits of an invisible companion. In subsequent observations made with ground-based telescopes, astronomers confirmed the finding.
The discovered exoplanet has been designated TOI-3261 b. It resembles Neptune in size. However, unlike it, its orbit lies at a very small distance from the star. TOI-3261 b makes one orbit around its luminosity in just 21 hours, its illuminated side heated to a temperature of about 1500 °C.
The finding attracted the attention of researchers that the orbit of TOI-3261 b lies in the so-called desert of hot Neptunes — a region near the star, where almost no such bodies are found. This is thought to be because, at a short distance, the star’s gravity has such a strong influence that it destroys the planet’s gas envelope. Powerful radiation also plays a role.
Both of these factors mean that ultra-hot Neptunes like TOI-3261 b may have started life as much larger Jupiter-sized planets and then lost much of their mass.
By modeling different starting points and development scenarios, the science team determined that the TOI-3261 b system is about 6.5 billion years old and that the exoplanet was originally a much larger gas giant. This is evidenced by the fact that it’s about twice as dense as Neptune. Scientists believed that the lighter parts of its atmosphere were removed over time, leaving only the heavier components.
The rest of the atmosphere is one of the most interesting features of this world, the analysis of which will help to unravel the mystery of its formation. Perhaps the James Webb telescope can help solve this problem. Atmospheric data will not only help us understand the past of TOI-3261 b, but also begin to unravel the physical processes underlying all ultra-hot worlds.
Earlier we reported on how scientists managed to discover an exoplanet with an average density comparable to lead.
Provided by Phys.org
