The strange case of the disappearing exoplanet — solved!
Meet TOI-2535 b, the "disappearing exoplanet." This hot Jupiter didn't really disappear, but its tilted orbit determines when we can see it. The post The strange case of the disappearing exoplanet — solved! first appeared on EarthSky .
Astronomers discovered a strange disappearing exoplanet named TOI-2535 b earlier this year. It seemed to vanish after being observed over seven years by the TESS planet-hunter. The exoplanet, located about 1,000 light-years away, is a hot Jupiter with a very short orbital period of just 8.25 days. However, its transits became irregular, appearing earlier or later than expected, by up to six hours, and eventually, astronomers stopped seeing the planet altogether.
The disappearance occurred due to the gravitational pull of another, unseen planet in the system. The two planets affected each other's orbits, causing TOI-2535 b to wobble like a top. When their orbits aligned in a way that tilted them out of view, the exoplanet seemed to disappear. This phenomenon is similar to the rare eclipses on Earth, where the tilt of the moon's orbit causes the eclipses to be infrequent.
The researchers, led by Samuel Yee from UCLA, believe this is the most extreme case they've seen, with the two planets interacting so strongly.
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