An international team of researchers has announced the discovery of a previously unknown exoplanet TOI-1452 b. The available data indicate that it can be completely covered with liquid water.
The exoplanet was discovered during the analysis of data collected by the TESS telescope. It managed to detect systematic changes in the brightness of a red dwarf, which is part of a binary star system located at a distance of about 100 light-years from Earth. Subsequent observations confirmed that they were caused by transits of an invisible companion and allowed to determine its characteristics.
TOI-1452 b orbits one of the red dwarfs (they are separated by a distance of 97 AU) with a period of 11.1 days. Its radius is 70% greater than the radius of the Earth, and the equilibrium temperature is 53 °C. Astronomers also managed to determine the approximate mass of TOI-1452 b. Its mass exceeds the mass of our planet by 4.8 times.
During the subsequent analysis, the researchers came to the conclusion that TOI-1452 b is not just larger than the Earth, but also differs from it by a much higher content of volatile components. 70% of the surface of our planet is covered with water, but at the same time it accounts for only 1% of its mass. In the case of TOI-1452 b, water can be up to 30% of its mass. If the researchers’ calculations are correct, it is an ocean planet — a world completely covered with water and, apparently, having no land.
You can also read about the recent discovery of a rare sub-Neptune.
According to https://phys.org
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