TESS Discovers the First Dense Exoplanet the Size of Neptune
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered a Neptune-sized exoplanet with an extremely dense composition. The exoplanet, known as TOI-849b, is located about 530 light-years away and orbits its star every 4.25 days. This is the first time that TESS has discovered such a dense exoplanet, and it provides clues to the formation and evolution of compact planetary systems.
The team of researchers that discovered TOI-849b used both TESS data and ground-based spectroscopy to measure the planet’s mass, radius, and density. They found that its mass is about 20 times that of Earth, and its radius is only 1.4 times that of Earth. This means that the exoplanet is extremely dense, with a density about seven times that of Earth. This is the first time that TESS has discovered a Neptune-sized planet that is this dense.
source: Phys.org