New discovery: Team finds up to seven exoplanets surrounding dwarf star TOI-1136
Using observatories and instruments around the world, a team led by the University of California has conducted the most precise measurements of exoplanet masses, orbital properties, and atmospheric characteristics to date. The team’s research has revealed that there are up to seven exoplanets surrounding TOI-1136, a dwarf star located more than 270 light-years from Earth. These findings may have a major impact on planet formation theories.
The team used the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) data in 2019 to conduct follow-up research on preliminary observations of stars and exoplanets. By recording changes in transit time, the team estimated the mass of exoplanets for the first time.
Recent research, combining system performance transit time variation (TTV) data and stellar radial velocity analysis, using the Lick Observatory automatic planet search telescope at Mount Hamilton in California and the high-resolution echelle spectrometer at Keck Observatory, used the Doppler effect redshift and Blueshift to detect subtle changes in a star’s motion, helping to determine the mass of a planet with unprecedented precision. By combining the two types of data, the team was able to obtain accurate information about the planetary system.
The large number of planets in TOI-1136 is one of the factors motivating the team to further study, as this system can control the impact of planetary evolution on the host star. TOI-1136 is very young by stellar standards, only 700 million years old, but young stars are difficult and special because they are very active. During this stage of the star’s development, magnetism, sunspots, and solar flares are more common and intense, and radiation can impact and shape the planet and affect its atmosphere.
TOI-1136’s planets, classified as sub-Neptune, have radii more than twice the radius of the Earth. The team’s research shows that all planets orbit TOI-1136 in less than the 88 days it takes Mercury to orbit the sun. Another strange composition of TOI-1136 is a possible but unconfirmed seventh planet, which researchers have detected evidence of.
It is hoped that in-depth investigations using the advanced spectroscopic capabilities of the Webb Space Telescope will enable astronomers to seek more knowledge, especially about the composition of planetary atmospheres. The results of the research have been published in The Astronomical Journal.
The team’s findings shed new light on the planetary system surrounding TOI-1136 and may have implications for planet formation theories. This discovery opens up new opportunities for further exploration and understanding of exoplanets and their host stars.