Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Planets Don't Just Disappear, But They Can Wobble Out of Sight if Their Neighbour is Close Enough

This artist's illustration shows a hot Jupiter, a giant planet very close to its star with a very short orbital period. TESS watched one hot Jupiter transit its star for seven years, until it wasn't visible anymore. New research says that another nearby giant planet is responsible for tugging the hot Jupiter out of view. Image Credit: C. Carreau / ESA.

TESS watched an exoplanet about 1,000 light years away as it repeatedly transited in front of its star for seven years. But astronomers were surprised to find that the hot Jupiter disappeared. Of course, planets don't just disappear. Something interrupted its transits from our point of view, and astronomers think they've figured out what happened. An unseen, nearby giant planet companion tugged on it until TESS couldn't see it anymore.



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