A newly discovered distant mini-Neptune planet may possess its own atmosphere, ocean, or a combination of the two, even if they don't last for long. The extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, designated HD-2047496 b located around 77 light-years from Earth revealed its characteristics to astronomers as it crossed the face of its parent star.
The discovery could help scientists better understand how planetary systems evolve and why there is an absence of TESS) which revealed the brightness and wavelengths of light from the star, HD-207496 revealing the characteristics of the exoplanet as it crossed, or transited, its face.
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The astronomers were able to determine HD-2047496-b, which has the alternative name TOI-1099 b, has a width 2.25 times that of Earth, while its mass is around 6.1 times that of our planet. This means the exoplanet is less dense than Earth leading to the team categorizing it as a "mini-Neptune" — a planet less massive than Neptune but still resembling the solar system ice giant.
The team was also able to calculate that HD-2047496-b orbits its star in around just 6.4 Earth days at a distance of just 5.8 million miles (9.4 million kilometers). But, not everything about this newly discovered world is so certain.
HD-2047496-b likely has a rocky core covered by mostly water or gas, but the team doesn't currently know which, or if it indeed has both. Models of the planet brought them no closer to determining the specifics of the exoplanet, but instead also pointed to the fact it may be water-rich, gas-rich, or both. But whatever the nature of the material that covers HD-2047496-b's rocky core, the situation is likely to be temporary.