(ORDO NEWS) — Using NASA‘s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers have discovered two new rocky exoplanets orbiting a nearby M-type dwarf known as HD 260655. These exoplanets are larger and at least twice as massive as Earth.
In a new study, a team led by Rafael Luque of the University of Chicago, USA, has confirmed two new planets discovered by NASA’s planet hunter, the TESS Space Telescope. The planetary nature of the transit signal detected by the satellite was confirmed using archival and new precision radial velocity measurements.
The closest exoplanet to the star has been named HD 260655 b. It has a radius of about 1.24 Earth radii and a mass of about 2.14 of our planet’s, giving a density value of 6.2 grams per cubic centimeter.
The planet HD 260655 b revolves around the parent star with a period of 2.77 days, being at a distance of about 0.03 astronomical units (1 AU is equal to the average distance from the Earth to the Sun). The equilibrium temperature for this planet is 709 Kelvin.
The second of these newly discovered planets, HD 260655 c, is larger and more massive than its neighbor in the planetary system. According to observations, the radius of the planet HD 260655 c is 1.53 Earth radii, while the mass is estimated at 3.09 masses of our planet.
Therefore, the calculated density of the planet’s matter is 4.7 grams per cubic centimeter. The planet HD 260655 c is 0.047 AU from the star, has an orbital period of about 5.7 days and an equilibrium temperature of 557 Kelvin.
The star HD 260655 is about 32.6 light-years away, of spectral type M0 V, and is 56 percent smaller and less massive than the Sun. The star has a metallicity of -0.43 and is between two and eight billion years old. The star HD 260655 is quite bright and has an effective temperature of about 3803 Kelvin.
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