 Artist's impression of the TOI-1338 b exoplanet. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Wolf Cukier |
| Discovery date | 31 July 2019 |
| Transit | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 0.4607+0.0084 −0.0088 AU[1] | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0331+0.0022 −0.0021 |
| 95.4001+0.0062 −0.0056 days | |
| Inclination | 90.494+0.013 −0.014° |
| Star | TOI-1338 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 0.683RJ[2] | |
| Mass | 11.3±2.1M🜨[2] |
Meandensity | 398 kg/m3[3] |
TOI-1338 b, also known asBEBOP-1b[4], is agas giantcircumbinaryexoplanet in theconstellationPictor, orbiting around thebinary star systemTOI-1338. First identified by then-17-year-old Wolf Cukier, it was the first circumbinary planet discovered using theTransiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).[5] It was discovered on 31 July 2019, and announced 6 January 2020.[6][7]
Located 1,318 light years away fromEarth, the exoplanet has a radius 6.9 timesthat of Earth, a mass roughly 12.3 timesthat of Earth, and a mean density of 0.4 g/cm3 (24.84 lb/ft3).[3][8] This low density either makes it asuper-puff planet, or could indicate that it has aring system and its true radius is smaller.
Wolf Cukier, a 17-year-old attendingScarsdale High School in New York at the time, joined theGoddard Space Flight Center in 2019 to work as a summer intern. While studying data that was flagged as aneclipsing binary (provided by volunteers of thePlanet Hunters citizen science project), he found the planet on his third day of interning.[9][10] Its discovery was announced on 6 January at the 235thAmerican Astronomical Society meeting inHonolulu,Hawaii.[6] He and 6 other volunteers later co-authored a publication about the planet.[1] Cukier then attendedPrinceton University and graduated in 2024.
The acronym TOI stands for "TESS Objects of Interest." In February 2021, a petition was launched calling for the planet to be renamedSOPHIE in honor of late Scottish musicianSophie.[11][12] The petition was supported byCharli XCX andCaroline Polachek.[11] It was unsuccessful in officially renaming the planet, however theInternational Astronomical Union announced that the minor planet1980 RE1 would be given the permanent nameSophiexeon in June 2021.[13]