SUPER‑EARTH DISCOVERY: TOI‑1846 b

CURRENT CONTEXT: NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite discovered TOI‑1846 b, a “super‑Earth” planet orbiting a red dwarf star about 154 light‑years away, detected via a repeating light dip observed each March.

 ABOUT TOI‑1846 b:

• Size & Mass: Approximately 1.8 times Earth’s radius and around 4 times its mass—fits into the “radius gap” between rocky planets and gas giants.
• Orbit & Temperature: Orbits its red dwarf every ~3.9 days; surface temperature estimated near 300 °C (565 °F), but tidal locking could create a cooler dark side with ice or shallow oceans.

Scientific Significance: Provides insights into planetary formation and atmospheric retention in the radius‐gap class. Follow‑up observations planned with MAROON‑X spectrograph in Hawaiʻi and the James Webb Space Telescope.