(ORDO NEWS) — A team of astronomers from the University of Warwick, UK, has confirmed the existence of two more exoplanets.
The scientists reported that transit signals were detected in the light curve of TOI-836 (or TIC 440887364), a K-class dwarf star located about 90 light-years away.
The planetary nature of these signals was confirmed in subsequent observations using the ESA CHaracterizing ExOPlanet (CHEOPS) satellite and various ground based equipment.
The inner planet TOI-836 b has a radius of about 1.7 Earth radii, is 4.5 times as massive as Earth, and has a density of 5.02 g/cm3. The orbital period of TOI-836 b is 3.81 days, the planet is at a distance of 0.0042 AU.
from the parent star, and its equilibrium temperature is estimated at 871 K. Thus, scientists have concluded that TOI-836 b is a super-Earth.
Super-Earths are planets more massive than the Earth, but not exceeding the mass of Neptune.
Although the term “super-Earth” only refers to the mass of a planet, it is also used by astronomers to describe planets larger than Earth but smaller than the so-called mini-Neptunes (planets with a radius between two and four Earth radii).
Mini Neptune TOI-836 c is about 2.6 times larger and 9.6 times more massive than our planet. Therefore, its density is 3.06 g/cm3.
The planet has an orbital period of about 8.6 days and is at a distance of 0.0075 AU. from the parent star. Its equilibrium temperature is estimated at 665 K.
The star TOI-836 is a K-class dwarf that is about 33% smaller than the Sun. Its effective temperature is about 4552 K, and its metallicity is estimated at -0.284. Its age is approximately 5.4 billion years.
The astronomers noted that significant variations in TOI-836’s transit time in their observations could indicate the presence of a third non-transiting planet in the system.
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