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Exoplanetary System with Super-Earth, Temperate Jupiter, and Brown Dwarf Confirmed

The Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) has participated in confirming three celestial bodies in the TOI-201 system, providing a unique laboratory for studying planetary evolution.

Artistic representation of a super-Earth, a temperate Jupiter, and a brown dwarf orbiting a distant star.
IA

Artistic representation of a super-Earth, a temperate Jupiter, and a brown dwarf orbiting a distant star.

An international scientific team, with significant participation from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC), has confirmed the existence of a super-Earth, a temperate Jupiter, and a brown dwarf orbiting the exoplanetary system TOI-201.

The research, published in Science Advances, has allowed for a comprehensive characterization of this system, not only identifying its components but also analyzing their dynamic interactions. This study is fundamental for deepening our understanding of the formation and evolution of planetary systems, as reported by the IAC.
Among the located bodies is TOI-201 d, a rocky super-Earth 1.4 times the size of Earth and six times its mass. This planet completes an orbit around its star every 5.85 days. Given its proximity to the star, its surface temperature is estimated to be too high to host liquid water.
The second object, TOI-201 b, is a temperate Jupiter, a gas giant with approximately half the mass of Jupiter, orbiting in 53 days. These planets are of particular interest to scientists as they occupy an intermediate position between hot Jupiters, very close to their stars, and cold, distant gas giants like Jupiter itself, with their orbital formation not yet fully understood.
The third body, TOI-201 c, is a brown dwarf that completes an orbit around the star every 7.9 years, following a wide and elliptical trajectory. This object is the most massive in the system after the star and represents the transiting object with the longest period discovered to date. Its mass lies at the boundary between giant planets and brown dwarfs, raising questions about whether it formed as a planet or a failed star.
The TOI-201 system is considered an exceptional laboratory for observing orbital changes on human timescales, a rare phenomenon in astronomy. Researchers explain that the orbits of these three bodies are inclined relative to each other, and their gravitational interactions are slowly altering their orientation. It is predicted that in about 200 years, the super-Earth will cease to transit in front of its star as viewed from Earth. Although transits will become visible again in thousands of years due to the system's orbital cycles, the next transit of the brown dwarf TOI-201 c is scheduled for March 26, 2031, offering a new opportunity for observation.

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