Scientists at PRL Discover "TOI-665 1b," a New Planet Five Times Larger Than Earth.

Science and Technology | Dated: 20 Nov 2024

An international team of scientists from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) has discovered a new Saturn-sized exoplanet named "TOI-665 1b" orbiting a Sun-like star, TOI-6651.

🎯 Key Highlights:

  • - TOI-665 1b, an exoplanet outside our solar system, is five times bigger and 60 times heavier than Earth.
  • - The planet was identified using the advanced PARAS-2 (PRL Advanced Radial velocity Abu Sky Search-2) spectrograph. This is the 4th exoplanet discovery by PRL scientists.
  • - The planet is located at the edge of the "Neptunian desert," a sub-Jovian desert defined as the region close to a star (period < 2-4 days) where no Neptune-sized (> 0.1 MJ) exoplanets are found.

💡 Other Important Facts:

  • (i) The planet orbits TOI-6651 in a close, 5.06-day cycle.
  • (ii) The planet's orbit is slightly oval in shape, or eccentric, further distinguishing it from typical gas giants like Saturn in our solar system.
  • (iii) The star, TOI-6651, is a G-type sub-giant that's slightly larger and hotter than our Sun, with a surface temperature of about 5940 Kelvin (K).

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

Recently, Which laboratory is credited with the discovery of the new planet "TOI-665 1b"?

Correct Answer: PRL

🚀 Quick Recap: