An artist’s impression of the many orbital periods, inclinations and eccentricities of exoplanets from which aliens might be transmitting radio signals.
(Image credit: Zayna Sheikh)
This year saw planetary scientists add a number of exciting new worlds to our growing 5,000+ catalog of exoplanets. Among them are planets like we have never seen before. Here is a look back at some of the standout exoplanet discoveries of 2023.
1. JWST Identifies Heavy Elements in Distant Gas Giant’s Atmosphere
The James Webb Space Telescope found that exoplanet Smertrios has an atmosphere that defies expectations. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Earlier in the year, observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) confirmed the presence of heavy elements — carbon and oxygen — in the atmosphere of the distant exoplanet HD149026b. The planet is more commonly known as Smertrios.Â
The discovery came as a surprise to astronomers, as gas giants from our own solar system, such as Jupiter and Saturn, predominantly house only hydrogen and helium in their atmospheres. The general rule tends to be, the bigger the planet, the less heavy elements in its atmosphere. The discovery turned this idea on its head. Â
Read more here: James Webb Space Telescope finds a ‘hot Jupiter’ exoplanet that defies expectationsÂ
2. TESS Spots World With Long Orbital Period and Cold Surface Temperatures
An artist’s rendition of the two planets and star in the TOI-4600 system. (Image credit: Tedi Vick)
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has added roughly 2,000 worlds to our menu of exoplanets, however, one particular planet, a gas giant called TOI-4600c stood out to planetary scientists.Â
Most discovered exoplanets orbit very close to their home star, however, TOI-4600c orbits its star every 482.82 days or 16 months. This gives it the longest year for any planet discovered by TESS. The gas giant is also a cool -110 degrees Fahrenheit, or -78 degrees Celsius at the surface.Â
Read more here: NASA’s exoplanet hunter TESS spots warm Jupiter with longest known yearÂ
3. Rare Planetary System Has Six Close Orbiting ‘sub-Neptunes’
The six planets of the HD110067 system. (Image credit: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, Thibaut Roger/NCCR PlanetS)
Located only 100 light-years from our solar system, scientists spotted a planetary system where six planets orbit extremely close to their parent star — so close, in fact, that all six planets could fit within the distance between Mercury and our sun.Â
Astronomers also believe the planetary system has remained unchanged for over a billion years, as the planets orbit in close to perfect mathematical resonance.Â
Read more here: This rare exoplanet system has 6 ‘sub-Neptunes’ with mathematically perfect orbitsÂ
4. Massive Planet Discovered Orbiting Tiny Star
Illustration shows a massive planet in orbit around a diminutive star. (Image credit: Penn State)
In research which challenged planetary scientist’s notions of what is possible,
