Scientists have discovered a new exoplanet, TOI-3261b, orbiting the star TOI-3261, located in the Hydra South constellation, 978.5 light-years from Earth. This planet belongs to a rare class of extremely hot Neptunes. The study was published in the journal Astronomical Journal (AJ).
The radius of the planet is 3.82 Earth radii, the mass – 30.3 Earth masses. TOI-3261b completes a full orbit around its star in just 21 hours.
These parameters distinguish TOI-3261b as one of the closest exoplanets known to science and place it in the hot Neptune category. This rare group contains only three other planets: LTT-9779b, TOI-849b and TOI-332b.
Astronomers suggest that TOI-3261b was initially much larger and had dimensions similar to Jupiter, but lost most of its atmosphere over time. This was influenced by two main processes. The first is photoevaporation, in which the star’s energy causes gas particles to leave the atmosphere. The second is tidal disruption, where a star’s gravity “tears” the planet’s outer layers.
The planet may have formed further away from the star, where conditions were less hostile, and then migrated closer.
The TOI-3261 system is approximately 6.5 billion years old, making it valuable for studying planetary evolution over the long term.
The authors state that “TOI-3261b is an ideal candidate for testing new models of planet formation.”
Studying the new planet’s atmosphere could help unravel the mysteries of the formation of ultra-hot Neptunes and be an important step in understanding the evolution of planetary systems.
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Source: Gazeta
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