![]() Artistic simulation of TOI-700 d, depicted here as a possibleocean planet. The actual appearance of the planet is not currently known. | |
Discovery[1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Emily Gilbert et al. |
Discovery date | 3 January 2020 |
Transit | |
Orbital characteristics[2][3] | |
0.1610±0.0097 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.047+0.054 −0.030 |
37.42343+0.00021 −0.00013 d | |
Inclination | 89.82°+0.12° −0.13° |
10°+120° −140° | |
Semi-amplitude | 0.83+0.16 −0.18 m/s |
Star | TOI-700 |
Physical characteristics | |
1.156+0.064 −0.063 R🜨[3] | |
Mass | 2.40+0.49 −0.52 M🜨[3] |
Meandensity | 8.47+2.45 −2.12 g/cm3 |
Temperature | 268.8+7.7 −7.6 K 268.8 K (−4.3 °C; 24.2 °F) (equilibrium)[4] |
TOI-700 d is a dense,rocky, near-Earth-sizedexoplanet orbiting within thehabitable zone of thered dwarfTOI-700. It is located roughly 101.4 light-years (31.1 pc) away from Earth in theconstellation ofDorado and is the outermost of 4 confirmed exoplanets around its star. The exoplanet is the firstEarth-sized exoplanet in thehabitable zone discovered by theTransiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).[5][6][7]
TOI-700 d orbits its star at a distance of 0.161 AU (24,100,000 km; 15,000,000 mi) from its host star with an orbital period of roughly 37.4days and has a radius of around 1.19 times that of Earth. It has been estimated that the planet receives about 88% the energy that the Earth receives from the Sun.[8]
It was discovered in early January 2020 by theTransiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
TOI-700 d is slightly larger than Earth with a radius of about 1.16 R🜨. However, it is significantly more massive at about 2.40 ME with a density around8.5 g/cm3. The planet's high density indicates a rocky composition with a higher fraction of iron than Earth and may be explained by high-energy giant impact events during its formation.[3]
The planet has an equilibrium temperature would be about 268.8 K (−4.3 °C; 24.2 °F)[4] and receives 88% as much sunlight as Earth does from the Sun.[3] The surface temperature of TOI-700d is likely higher if it has an atmosphere. A small chance of arunaway greenhouse effect exists.[9]
TOI-700 is ared dwarf ofspectral class M that is about 40% the mass and radius, and very roughly 50% of the temperature of the Sun.[7] The star is bright with low levels of stellar activity. Over the 11 sectors observed with TESS, the star does not show a single white-lightflare. The low rotation rate is also an indicator of low stellar activity.[1]
TOI-700 d orbits its host star with an orbital period of 37.42 days. It has an orbital radius of about 0.161 AU (24.1 million km; 15.0 million mi), less than half of that ofMercury to the Sun in theSolar System. It receives about 88% of Earth'ssunlight from its host star.
TOI-700 d orbits in thehabitable zone of its host star. The solar wind ram pressure and intensity of the interplanetary magnetic field are expected to be similar to the Earth's, therefore retention of the planetary atmosphere is likely.[10][11] The presence of an extended hydrogen/helium envelope on TOI-700c indicates the star's high energy emission was insufficient to strip its atmosphere. Therefore TOI-700d, which receives less than half the insolation as c, may have been able to maintain a secondary high mean molecular weight atmosphere even less susceptible to photoevaporation.[3]
TOI-700 d was discovered by a team of astronomers led by Emily Gilbert using theTransiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in early January 2020. This was the first Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone discovered by TESS.[12]