High school students considered “youngest astronomers ever” discover four distant exoplanets 200 light-years away using space TESS
- Kartik Pinglé, 16, and Jasmine Wright, 18, have discovered four new exoplanets
- The pair used the TESS satellite to observe a sun-like star 200 light-years away
- Three of the planets are sub-Neptunes and the other is a super-Earth
Two high school students have identified four new exoplanets about 200 light-years from Earth, considering them “the youngest astronomers” to have made such a discovery.
Kartik Pinglé, 16, and Jasmine Wright, 18, who attend both schools in Massachusetts, participated in the Student Research Program (SRMP) at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA).
Together with the help of Tansu Daylan, a postdoctoral fellow at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, students studied and analyzed data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
Together they focused on Tess Object of Interest (TOI) 1233, a nearby, bright, sun-like star, and here they found four planets orbiting the star.
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Two high school students have identified four new exoplanets about 200 light-years from Earth, considering them “the youngest astronomers” to have made such a discovery. Kartik Pinglé (left), 16, and Jasmine Wright (right), 18, both from Massachusetts schools
“We sought to see changes in light over time,” Pinglé explained. “The idea is that if the planet transits the star or passes in front of it, it would be [periodically] cover the star and reduce its brightness. ‘
TESS is a space satellite that has discovered over 20,000 exoplanets in transit – some of which may be super-Earths in the habitable zone.
While searching 1233, Pinglé and Wright hoped at least to find a planet, but were overwhelmed with joy when they saw a total of four.
“I was very excited and very shocked,” Wright said. “I knew that was the purpose of Daylan’s research, but finding a multiplanetary system and participating in the discovery team was very interesting.”
Together they focused on Tess Object of Interest (TOI) 1233, a nearby, bright, sun-like star, and here they found four planets orbiting the star. Three of the newly discovered planets are considered sub-Neptunes and the fourth is a “super-Earth” (artist’s impression).
Three of the newly discovered planets are considered “sub-Neptunes,” which are gaseous but smaller than the Neptune that lives in our solar system.
While observing the planets, the team determined that each completes its orbit around 1233 every six to 19.5 days.
However, the fourth planet is labeled “super-Earth” for its large, rocky size – it orbits the star in less than four days.
“Our species has been thinking about planets beyond our solar system for a long time, and with multi-planetary systems, you’re kind of hitting the jackpot,” Dylan said.
“The planets came from the same disk of matter around the same star, but they became different planets, with different atmospheres and different climates, due to their different orbits. So, we would like to understand the fundamental processes of formation and evolution of the planet using this planetary system. ‘
TESS is a space satellite that has discovered over 20,000 transiting exoplanets – some of which may be super-Earths in the habitable zone.
Daylan added that it was a “win-win” to work with Pinglé and Wright in the studio.
“As a researcher, I really enjoy interacting with young brains who are open to experimentation and learning and have a minimal tendency,” he said.
“I also think it’s very beneficial for high school students, because they are exposed to cutting-edge research, and this quickly prepares them for a career in research.”