Twin Super-Puff Exoplanets Reveal Ultra-Low Densities in a Sun-like System
Astronomers have identified two Jupiter-sized exoplanets, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, orbiting a Sun-like star about 1,113 light-years away. These are rare “super-puffs” with extremely low densities, confirmed through long ground-based transits and gravitational interaction measurements that reveal a 5:3 orbital resonance. The discovery originated from citizen-science analysis of NASA’s TESS data and was corroborated with multiple telescopes, including the ASTEP facility in Antarctica. The team expects JWST to study the planets’ atmospheres to shed light on how such puffy worlds form and evolve.