A new exoplanet has been discovered beyond the borders of our Solar System: it is called TOI-4465 b, is a gas giant larger than Jupiter and is located about 400 light years from Earth. The discovery, published in The Astronomical Journal, is the result of citizen science, or collaboration between scientists and citizens who are passionate about astronomy.
A global discovery thanks to the Unistellar network
Led by Zahra Essack of the University of New Mexico, the research was made possible thanks to Unistellar, an international network of amateur astronomers. Ben 24 citizen scientists by 10 Countries provided their personal telescopes to confirm the initial data from the space telescope TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) of the NASA.
The first clue to the existence of TOI-4465 b came from TESS itself, which had detected a partial transit of the planet in front of its parent star, causing a decrease in brightness. However, the transit was brief and difficult to confirm.
Observing the transit? An astronomical challenge
“The observation windows are extremely limited,” explained Zahra Essack. “Each transit lasts about 12 hours, but finding a place with 12 hours of clear, dark sky is a rarity. Weather conditions, telescope availability and the need for continuous coverage further complicate the situation.”
Despite the difficulties, the collaboration between citizen scientists and professional observers made it possible to detect and study the planet's transit again, providing essential data to confirm its existence.
TOI-4465 b: a rare and fascinating exoplanet
Thanks to these coordinated observations, TOI-4465 b was identified as a gas giant exoplanet with surprising characteristics:
These properties make it a celestial object extremely rareis one of the few known planets to be so large, massive, dense and temperate at the same time.
