2024-08-12 06:00:02
A new type of gas giant planet, with an elliptical, retrograde orbit, could upend our understanding of “hot Jupiters.” Discovered using NSF’s 3.5-meter WIYN telescope, the exoplanet named TIC 241249530 b has unique orbital characteristics, suggesting a path intriguing future.
Currently, more than 5,600 exoplanets have been confirmed. Of these, 300 to 500 are “hot Jupiters,” large gas planets orbiting very close to their star. The discovery of TIC 241249530 b, which follows an extremely stretched orbit in the opposite direction to the rotation of its star, offers a new perspective on the formation and evolution of these planets.
The first observations were made using NASA’s TESS satellite, detecting a drop in brightness stellar. Astronomers then used the telescope WIYN and its NESSI and NEID instruments to confirm and analyze these variations, revealing the nature of theexoplanet.
Spectral analysis confirmed that TIC 241249530 b is about five times more massive than Jupiter and follows an orbit with an eccentricity of 0.94, one of the highest ever recorded for a planet in transit. This unique behavior involves extreme temperatures, ranging from those of a summer day to hot enough to melt titanium.
Illustration of the orbit of TIC 241249530 b compared to those of Mercury and Earth in our Solar System.
Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Proctor
The retrograde motion of this exoplanet, that is, its orbit in the opposite direction to the rotation of its star, is rare and sheds light on its formation history. The star’s tidal forces should gradually circularize its orbit, offering crucial insight into the stabilization and evolution of hot Jupiters.
Arvind Gupta, a postdoctoral researcher at NOIRLab and lead author of the study, points out that TIC 241249530 b, due to its unique nature, provides insight into the process of gas giant planets migrating to tighter, circular orbits.
With only two examples of this pre-migration phase of hot Jupiters, this discovery supports the idea that gas giant planets are evolving toward closer, circular orbits, providing valuable data for astronomers.
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