Researchers at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias in the Canary Islands has discovered a super-Earth that orbits red dwarf star GJ 740 in just 2.4 days. For comparison, Earth takes 365 days to revolve around the sun, this exoplanet does so in less than a week, or two days, nine hours, and thirty minutes to be exact. The TESS satellite will continue to observe this super-Earth and could provide more information on the planet in the future. Read more for a video and additional information.
The data also indicated the presence of a second planet with an orbital period of around 9 years, and a mass similar to that of Saturn. However, its radial velocity signal could be due to the magnetic cycle of the star (like the Sun), so more data is required to confirm that the signal is really from a celestial body.
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This is the planet with the second shortest orbital period around this type of star. The mass and the period suggest a rocky planet, with a radius of around 1.4 Earth radii, which could be confirmed in future observations with the TESS satellite,” said Borja Toledo Padron, the first author of the report titled ‘A Super-Earth on a Close-in Orbit Around the M1V Star GJ 740.’
