The TOI-6038 A detrended and normalized TESS light curves of S18 and S58 are shown as green and blue dots, respectively. The full light curve is shown in the upper panel, while the phase-folded light curve of both sectors is shown in the lower panel, with pink dots representing grouped 20-minute data points. The solid black line in both panels represents the best-fit transit model for TOI-6038 A b. Credit: arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2501.02272
An international team of astronomers has reported the detection of a new exoplanet orbiting a bright late F-type star. The new alien world, designated TOI-6038 Ab, is about six times larger and nearly 80 times more massive than Earth. The discovery is detailed in an article published on January 4 on the arXiv preprint server.
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is conducting a survey of about 200,000 of the brightest stars near the sun in an effort to search for transiting exoplanets. So far, it has identified nearly 7,400 candidate exoplanets (TESS Objects of Interest, or TOI), of which 591 have been confirmed so far.
Now, a group of astronomers led by Sanjay Baliwal of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, India, reports confirmation of the presence of another planet monitored by TESS. Baliwal’s team identified a transit signal in the light curve of TOI-6038 A, a late F-type star located about 578 light-years away. The planetary nature of this signal was validated by follow-up observations made using the 2.5m telescope at the PRL Observatory in India.
“TOI-6038 A (TIC 194736418) was observed by TESS in sectors 18 and 58. The observations of sector 18 (S18) were carried out between November 3 and 27, 2019, while the observations of sector 58 (S58 ) took place from October 29 to November 26, 2022”, we can read in the newspaper.
Follow-up observations revealed that TOI-6038 Ab has a radius of approximately 6.41 Earth radii and its mass is estimated at 78.5 Earth masses, giving a bulk density at a level of 1.62 g/ cm.3. The planet orbits its host every 5.83 days, at a distance of 0.069 AU from it. The equilibrium temperature of TOI-6038 Ab was calculated to be 1439 K.
Based on modeling of the internal structure, astronomers assume that TOI-6038 A b has a massive core with a mass of about 58 Earth masses, composed mainly of dense materials such as rock and iron, which represent approximately 74% of the total mass of the planet. mass. A modest hydrogen/helium envelope makes up the remaining mass, suggesting a relatively thin atmosphere.
The derived properties of TOI-6038 Ab make it a sub-Saturn exoplanet located at the boundary between the Neptunian ridge and the savannah. The so-called Neptunian desert and savannah mark the dearth of Neptune-like exoplanets in the shorter orbits and their modest presence at greater orbital distances. They are separated by a recently identified overdensity (peak) of Neptune-like exoplanets in the 3-5 day orbital period range.
The parent star, TOI-6038 A, is part of a binary system with a K-type star, TOI-6038 B, separated by about 3,217 AU. TOI-6038 A has a radius of approximately 0.9 solar radii, while its mass is approximately 0.86 solar masses. The star, estimated to be 3.65 billion years old, has an effective temperature of 6,110 K and its metallicity is 0.124 dex.
More information:
Sanjay Baliwal et al, TOI-6038 A b: A dense sub-Saturn in transition between the Neptunian ridge and the savannah, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2501.02272
Journal information:
arXiv
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