NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has uncovered an extraordinary exoplanet, TOI-3261 b, where a year is completed in only 21 Earth hours. This ultra-hot planet, similar in size to Neptune, is one of just four known “hot Neptunes” with such extreme characteristics.
Key Features of TOI-3261 b
Orbital Period: TOI-3261 b orbits its star at an incredibly close distance, completing a full revolution in less than a day.
Density: The planet is twice as dense as Neptune, suggesting its atmosphere has been stripped of lighter gases, leaving behind heavier elements.
Formation History: Advanced modeling of the 6.5-billion-year-old system indicates that TOI-3261 b likely began as a gas giant akin to Jupiter. Over time, processes like photoevaporation and tidal stripping caused significant atmospheric loss.
Alternatively, it’s possible that the planet formed farther from its star and later migrated inward, where it underwent atmospheric changes due to the intense gravitational and stellar energy.
This discovery adds to the limited catalog of ultra-short-period hot Neptunes and provides a unique opportunity to study atmospheric evolution under extreme conditions. NASA scientists suggest that TOI-3261 b’s current atmosphere contains heavier gases, but its precise composition remains a mystery.
Next Steps in Research
Astronomers plan to study TOI-3261 b’s atmosphere in greater detail using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. By observing in infrared light, researchers hope to detect molecular signatures that can unravel the planet’s atmospheric composition and evolution.
TOI-3261 b offers critical insights into planetary formation, migration, and atmospheric dynamics, shedding light on the extreme environments that can shape giant planets in other star systems.
