STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The newly found planet orbits a star known as TOI4603 or HD 245134, and Nasa’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has previously identified the star as a prospective home for a secondary body of unknown type.
An international team of scientists led by Professor Abhijit Chakraborty of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad identified the densest alien planet, 13 times the size of Jupiter.
This is the third exoplanet identified by PRL scientists. The discovery was detailed in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters.
Scientists from India, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States utilised the indigenous PRL Advanced Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search spectrograph (PARAS) at Mt. Abu’s Gurushikhar Observatory to precisely determine the planet’s mass. The exoplanet weighs 14 g/cm3.
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A Look at TOI 4603b
The newly found planet orbits a star known as TOI4603 or HD 245134, and Nasa’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has previously identified the star as a prospective home for a secondary body of unknown type.
The body has now been identified as a planet and given the designation TOI 4603b or HD 245134b, reported India Today.
The planet is 731 light years distant from Earth and revolves around its star every 7.24 days. With a temperature of 1396 degrees Celsius, the planet is scorching.
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As per the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), what distinguishes this finding is that it falls into the transition mass region between huge giant planets and low-mass brown dwarfs.
The masses of these planets vary from 11 to 16 times that of Jupiter, and fewer than five exoplanets in this mass range are currently known.
While the quest for life beyond Earth continues, scientists have identified over 5,000 exoplanets beyond the solar system with varying natures, features, and atmospheres.
The recently discovered exoplanet TOI 4603b is one of the most massive and dense giant planets, orbiting its home star at a distance less than one-tenth that of our Sun.
“The detection of such systems provides valuable insights into the formation, migration, and evolution mechanisms of massive exoplanets,” ISRO said.
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New Earth-sized planet discovered
A new Earth-sized planet has been discovered approximately 90 light-years away from us. In astronomical terms, that’s right next door. Furthermore, it may be capable of maintaining life, reported New Atlas.
Astronomers discovered LP 791-18d using ground- and space-based investigations by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and its now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope.
LP 791-18d circles a tiny red dwarf star approximately 90 light-years distant in the constellation Crater in the southern celestial hemisphere. The scientists that discovered the planet calculated its mass by comparing the time it takes the planet to orbit its home star. These orbits are caused by the gravitational attraction of the other planets in the system.
NOTE – This article was originally published in Wionews and can be viewed here
