Astronomers Discover an Exoplanet As Big and Dense as Neptune

According to a study published on the ArXiv preprint server and in the scientific journal Nature, a team of astronomers has released a startling new discovery: They’ve found a new exoplanet as large as Neptune. The exoplanet, designated TOI-332 b, was discovered using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) system. United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

The international team of astronomers points out that the planet is denser than steel and has almost twice the mass of other planets of similar size. So its high density indicates that it’s made up of more rock fragments than scientists would normally expect.

The research suggests one reason for the planet’s high density: TOI-1853b likely acquired these properties after planetary collisions. The collision of another planet reduced some of the light atmosphere and water, so more rock remained.

“We know that there is an enormous diversity of planets in extraplanetary systems; most of them have no analogues in our solar system, but often have masses and compositions between rocky planets and Neptune/Uranus (ice giants). One of the authors of the study, Dr. “As observed, we found that to produce TOI-1853b, the first planetary body would likely have to be rich in water and undergo an extreme giant collision at greater than 75 km/s,” said Dr. Phil Carter from the School of Physics at the University of Bristol, UK.

exoplanet as big as Neptune

Carter explains that the observations suggest: exoplanet suffered a massive impact with a speed of more than 75 km/s. Scientists believe the data is evidence of a major impact and will aid in understanding the formation of planets and planetary systems in the Milky Way.

Despite the paper’s publication, the researchers say they will continue to examine the exoplanet’s data to see if there is any residual atmosphere that could respond to TOI-1853b’s composition. Until then, these planetary effects were unexpected by scientists, but they could help answer many questions on the subject.

“TOI-1853b is the size of Neptune but has a greater density than steel. Our work shows that this could happen if the planet experienced extremely energetic planetary collisions during its formation. These collisions destroyed some of the light atmosphere and water, leaving a high-density, significantly rock-enriched planet,” said Jingyao Dou, a graduate student and study author.

Stay up to date with the latest discoveries in astronomy at TecMundo. Also, take the opportunity to discover what’s in the atmosphere of exoplanet WASP-96 b.