Scientists have found that a giant exoplanet, twice the size of Jupiter, has a hidden companion that is disturbing its orbit. This exoplanet, known as TOI-1408 b, is located 455 light-years away from Earth. The discovery was made using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and has left astronomers both excited and puzzled.
TOI-1408 b is a gas giant, over twice the width of Jupiter and almost twice its mass. It orbits its parent star at a distance of 5.3 million miles, completing an orbit in just 4.4 Earth days. This proximity to its star classifies it as a “hot Jupiter.” However, the real surprise came when scientists detected another planet even closer to the star, named TOI-1408 c.
TOI-1408 c is just 3.3 million miles from the star, completing an orbit in 2.2 Earth days. Unlike its giant neighbor, TOI-1408 c is a “super-Earth” or “sub-Neptune,” with a width around twice that of Earth and a mass eight times greater. This planet is likely composed of a mix of gas and rock, unlike the mostly gaseous TOI-1408 b.
The interaction between these two planets is causing their orbits to wobble in ways never seen before. Judith Korth, the lead researcher from Lund University, explained, “Imagine our solar system, but instead, Jupiter is orbiting very close to the sun nearly every four days.
This is already very close to the star, and still, we detected another planet even closer to the star that interacts strongly with its big neighbor, causing their orbits to wobble in ways we’ve never seen before”.
This discovery is significant for several reasons. Firstly, it challenges our understanding of planetary formation and migration. The fact that a gas giant like TOI-1408 b can exist so close to its star, and have a companion even closer, is unusual. It suggests that these planets may have formed further out and migrated inwards over time.
Secondly, the interaction between the two planets provides a unique opportunity to study gravitational interactions in a planetary system. The wobbling orbits could give scientists new insights into the dynamics of planetary systems and how they evolve over time.
The discovery of TOI-1408 b and its companion TOI-1408 c was made possible by the TESS mission. TESS is designed to find exoplanets by detecting small dips in a star’s brightness caused by a planet passing in front of it. This method, known as the transit method, has been incredibly successful in finding new exoplanets.
The TOI-1408 system is a perfect example of the kind of discoveries TESS was designed to make. By finding planets in close orbits around their stars, TESS is helping scientists understand the diversity of planetary systems in our galaxy.
The discovery of TOI-1408 b and TOI-1408 c also raises questions about the potential for life in such systems. While the extreme conditions on these planets make it unlikely that they could support life as we know it, the presence of multiple planets in close orbits around a star could have implications for the habitability of other planets in the system.
