Twin Exoplanets Ride Inward Together, Rewriting Hot-Jupiter Origins
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope studied TOI-1130, a system where a hot Jupiter (TOI-1130c) hosts a close companion mini-Neptune (TOI-1130b). The pair likely formed beyond the frost line and migrated inward together into a 2:1 resonance, with TOI-1130b showing a heavy atmosphere rich in water vapor, CO2, SO2 and methane. This rare architecture suggests hot Jupiters can form with companions and migrate as a pair, challenging prior ideas about planetary formation.