Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovery date | 2018[1] |
Transit[1] | |
Orbital characteristics | |
0.0227 AU[1] | |
Eccentricity | 0.09[1] |
2.2532 d[1] | |
Star | L 98-59 |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 0.85 R🜨[2] |
Mass | 0.40 ME[2] |
Temperature | 603 K (330°C)[3] |
L 98-59 b is an exoplanet having a size between that of the Earth and Mars and a mass only half that of Venus.[2] It orbits L 98-59, a red dwarf 35 light-years away in the constellation Volans. There are at least 3 (possibly 4) other planets in the system: L 98-59 c, d, e, and the unconfirmed L 98-59 f.[2] Its discovery was announced on 27 June 2019 on the NASA website. It was the smallest planet discovered by TESS[4] until the discovery of LHS 1678b,[5] and was the lowest-mass planet whose mass has been measured using radial velocities[2] until Proxima Centauri d was found in 2022.[6]
L 98-59 b orbits in 2.25 days and stays so close to the star that it receives 22 times more energy than Earth receives from the Sun. There are 4 confirmed planets in the system but they are not in the habitable zone of the host star.[4] The temperature of the planet detected by TESS is 330 °C.[3] In 2022, transmission spectroscopy has indicated that the planet has either no atmosphere or opaque atmosphere with the high-altitude hazes.[7]