May 16, 2021

TOI-269 seen by TESS

An article accepted for publication in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics” reports the confirmation by a team of researchers led by Marion Cointepas of the exoplanet TOI-269 b, a sub-Neptune orbiting a red dwarf discovered thanks to NASA’s TESS space telescope. It’s a warm Sub-Neptune because its year only lasts 3.7 Earth days, as it’s very close to its star. It’s not the first case of that type, but this is interesting because estimates of its characteristics indicate that it’s close to the boundaries between sub-Neptunes and super-Earths. The loss of the atmosphere with the transformation from sub-Neptune to super-Earth is a case studied only in theory and TOI-269 b could provide useful information to understand this process.