January 28, 2021

Artist’s impression of the TOI-178 planetary system (Image ESA)

An article published in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics” reports a study on the TOI-178 system that confirms the presence of six planets and indicates that the orbits of five of them are in resonance. A team of researchers led by Adrien Leleu of the Université de Genève and the University of Bern, Switzerland, used ESA’s CHEOPS space telescope and other instruments to confirm that there are at least six planets orbiting TOI-178. The result is a unique situation, with very different planets of which five follow a 2:4:6:9:12 resonance pattern.