February 6, 2022

Artist's concept of the exoplanet TOI 560.01 with its star (Image Adam Makarenko (Keck Observatory))

Two articles published in “The Astronomical Journal” report studies on as many exoplanets of the mini-Neptune type that are losing their atmosphere. Two teams led by Michael Zhang with other members in common used the Hubble Space Telescope to study the exoplanet HD 63433c and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii to study the exoplanet TOI 560.01, also known as HD 73583b. In both cases, the XMM-Newton space telescope was used to study the high-energy emissions from their stars and from the outflow of gas from their atmospheres. Observations of gas leaking into space is a confirmation of the theory that mini-Neptunes can transform into super-Earths at the end of that loss.