TOI-260 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

TOI-260 b is a confirmed super-earth exoplanet orbiting the star TOI-260, located approximately 65.8 light-years (20.19 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2024 by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.0667% across the stellar disk), this world measures 1.71 Earth radii and has a measured mass of 4.23 Earth masses. Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 4.66 g/cm³ (a terrestrial silicate-iron composition comparable to Earth (5.51 g/cm³)), a surface gravity of 1.45 g⊕ (14.22 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 17.6 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around TOI-260, TOI-260 b completes one full revolution every 13.476 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.0943 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 76.1 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The orbit is modeled as circular (e = 0.00), maintaining a constant stellar distance throughout its year.

⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 493 K (+220°C / +428°F) and receiving 10.18 S⊕ (~13,860 W/m²), TOI-260 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star TOI-260 is classified as an orange K-type star of spectral type K8 V with an effective photospheric temperature of 4,026 K, a radius of 0.607 R☉, a mass of 0.616 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.087 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 15.9 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -0.47 dex (metal-poor relative to the Sun). From Earth, TOI-260 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 9.9 (accessible to binoculars and small amateur telescopes) in the Southern celestial hemisphere.

Discovery Facility: Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).